Now why was this bill proposed? Well, it all hinges on the sad case of , a Missouri teenager, who, in 2006, committed suicide at the age of 13 because of "cyberbullying".

The actual bully in the case turned out to be the mother of a former friend of Meier's (Meier was under psychiatric care at the time, suffering from attention deficit disorder and depression). The vehicle used for the bullying was MySpace.

When this case emerged the media hype machine swung into gear and the "cyber" side of the issue was inflated out of all proportion to reality. And, of course, almost immediately every politico worth their salt was lining up to demand greater controls on social media.

I am constantly amazed at how people -- otherwise sensible, articulate people -- as well as those who should just know better, will preface anything and everything with "cyber" as if it confers more depth and profundity than the unadorned word or phrase.