> I typically spend a few minutes researching what they’ve been up to recently.

So this process isn’t for friends? I find this behavior personally strange. I’d rather get the information on what they’ve been up to from them directly, and the way I do that is to video call them on a weekend to catch up.

It really is impersonal in my opinion to learn about a friend via broadcast messages posted to social media.

As for the technique in the post, I do agree. Some regularity is needed. Every few weeks I call people via video and talk. Others I share photos about what I’ve done via Signal and ask how they’re doing.