Facebook replaces live sibling interaction

Just when I thought there would be no surprises... I was "friended" by two of my husband's siblings on Facebook.  His family lives in the next county and are estranged from one another since his father's death a few years ago.  I'm not sure what type of social disorder this is symptomatic of, but I find it very odd that we have to read a website to find out what's been going on in their lives over the years.  Since personal contact by phone or live-in-person hasn't worked, I guess this is better than nothing.