These days “the outlets for vindictiveness have multiplied almost to infinity—and your reputation is more fragile than ever,” writes Jeffrey Zaslow. “All of us now live under the threat of easy and instant humiliation. It’s no longer just celebrities and business executives who need to think about aggressive reputation-protection and face-saving techniques.” Does this mean there has been a ratcheting up of meanness in recent years? Have the cheanges in technology made us “nastier and more cynical?” Can we decide we’re better than that?