THE ability to exchange ideas and information almost instantly is one of the great advances of the 21st century. The advent of social media means we have immediate access to events, and can respond accordingly, often – though not exclusively – in 140 characters or fewer.

Of course, such reactions can sometimes be of the knee-jerk variety. The terrible events in Paris last Friday night were a case in point. While the emergency sirens were still sounding and the medics were tending the injured, thousands were venting their spleen, leading to a spike in racist, abusive and Islamophobic posts. Misinformation was everywhere; it became difficult to sort fact from friction.

The urge to respond is a fundamental part of human nature. It is communication that raises us (or the vast majority of us, at any rate) above the level of the beasts of the field.

I am of the belief, though, that the best way to get something off the chest is to first engage the brain. And an excellent way to do that, to get your thoughts collected and gainfully imparted, is in a letter.

Our readers have been shocked, stirred, saddened, enraged, infuriated and moved to tears. Many have taken the trouble to sit at a computer, or pick up a pen, and express those emotions. They have, in so doing, sought to promote an understanding of underlying causes and to outline future responses. The reactions have, by and large, been calm, collected and reasoned. We can be proud of the level of debate we have carried on the Letters Pages in recent days.

It is, I think, a natural by-product of the act of letter writing. The requirement to marshal one’s thoughts, to set them down in a logical and linear manner, necessarily promotes reflection. As does, I think, the knowledge that one will be appending one’s name and address – not an anonymous “handle” or username. Our pages have all the more authority for the fact that we know that our contributors are prepared to stand behind their opinions.

Paris, though, has only been a preoccupation of the last three or four days. Since I last contributed to this slot, we have, as always, been discussing a vast array of topics. Among the subjects aired have been local authority cuts, Abellio ScotRail, Billy Graham’s visit to Scotland, the private rented housing sector, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, faith schools, the Scottish Labour Party conference, Strictly Come Dancing, Trident, immigration, tax credits, the Scotland Bill and the fiscal framework, Sportscene, foxhunting, business rates, the rebranding of airports, renewables, the EU referendum, sport in schools, kinship carers, Catalonia, the naming of storms, Sunday trading, spam emails, the training of headteachers, the law of defamation, what our income tax is spent on, and much more. And not an anonymous or disguised troll to be found; thank you all.

Lastly, I would like to express my sorrow at the death earlier this week of one of our correspondents, Stewart Cruickshank. A musician and former producer with BBC Radio Scotland, he wrote with incision and authority on the affairs of the corporation and, most recently, on the redevelopment of Glasgow. My condolences to his wife, family and friends.

Obituaries: Page 17.