A new path to paranoia - Dr Internet, it’s time to log out

THE internet has been blamed for many things; everything from the popularisation of ‘Gangnam Style’ dance to the election of President Donald Trump. 

It must be hoped that those peculiarities are but passing aberrations but it does seem likely that one innovation might defy logic and endure.

Nearly everyone has met Dr Internet MD, the citizen conferred, in their imagination at least, with a medical degree from the University of Google. Their newfound authority is matched only by their enthusiasm for offering unsought and unsound diagnosis.