TMI

Before the advent of the internet we often thought we were alone in our deepest fears and secret thoughts but by the early 1990's we were suddenly faced with the good fortune of a burgeoning community. At first it was sufficiently benign and we rejoiced that we weren't quite as crazy as we had first estimated. At least one other person had similar dreams, aspirations and childhood experiences. We had begun to break through the veil which society had previously draped over everything.

Then something happened over the subsequent decades to derail us and the advantages we found early on were met with an equal measure of negatives which included bullying, spamming, misinformation and the stupidity of the banal. Social media threatened to overwhelm us with an overload of information much of it entirely unnecessary and even harmful.

Recently a woman in her mid 30's committed suicide after her arrest was posted on social media. Her sin was having used a sex toy at a sufficient distance from others on a beach and a concerned citizen saw fit to call the authorities. She was shamed and horrified to the point of ending her life.

I am at a junction in life now where these things disappoint and enrage and confirm how many idiots walk among us. They create havoc where none need exist and elevate the unimportant to levels which shock those with even a modicum of common sense.

The internet has saved young children from their abductors thus we should not complain too loudly and yet I can't help but think that the balance point we used to aim for has been largely undone.