The story of the Coldplay couple unfolded like a soap opera. But was the pile-on that followed a proportionate response? | Miski Omar

We're collectively trying to decide through digital telepathy what makes it OK to ruin someone's life. That is an impossible task

By now we've all seen the video: a couple locked in an intimate embrace at a Coldplay concert. Within milliseconds, the woman turns her face and the man ducks. The crowd gasps. Chris Martin quips: Either they're having an affair or they're very shy."

Within 24 hours, the internet had done what it does best: turned sleuth. The names of the pair were quickly revealed. LinkedIns found. Both were senior executives at a New York data firm, he, the CEO; she, the head of HR. Both married. With children.

Miski Omar is a writer and director based in Sydney