Let’s say that in a parallel universe there is no internet. My hypothesis is that in such a world, pen friends would have evolved to be a cultural necessity. Globalisation still occurred so a lot of people would have an increasing perception of how we are all connected. But rather than blog or become a forum junkie, people would add another pen friend to the paper favourites list. Pen Friend liason officers would be employed with postal services, there would be shops dedicated to pen friend supplies – gifts able to fit in envelopes or very small packages. Las Vegas would have a strip of chapels where overly optimistic or romantic pen friends would shack up, believing their letter-based relationship can be set up for life.

Maybe that’s a better existence, although if there were no internet I think by now anyone in offices would be drowning in folder after folder of documents (using the logic that if the internet isn’t there then computers must be sucking badly). I’m sure there’s a D-Grade movie idea in this.