The dark side of digital ‘love’

 

Sometimes, the click of a mouse can be a hurtful tool in the wrong hands

Joe Skipper / Reuters
Image: Golfer Tiger Woods apologizes for "irresponsible and selfish behavior" during his first public statement to a small gathering of reporters and friends at the headquarters of the U.S. PGA Tour in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Golfer Tiger Woods became a textbook example of digital love gone bad when his voice mail to a mistress hit the news media, audio intact.
By Suzanne Choney
msnbc.com
updated 8:43 a.m. ET March 9, 2010
It's part of the Hades of high tech: the heart that's wounded, the mind unbent, the mouse that's easily clicked to damage and destroy others, or errant voice mail messages laced with menace or desperation. It is the dark side of "love" in the digital age.
Tiger Woods became a textbook example with his voice mail to a mistress shared nationwide, audio intact: “Hey, it’s, uh, it’s Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor. Um, can you please, uh, take your name off your phone. My wife went through my phone. And, uh, may be calling you ..."
Despite many upbeat tales of online matchups or romantic reunions through Facebook or e-mail, there are plenty of cautionary tales. They don't have the high-profile, TMZ-appeal of Woods' case, but are more devastating to the victims, such as these cases from just last month: