If there's anything Americans have got figured out, it's how to wallow in good old-fashioned guilt. And just as you're about to give up on that New Year's resolution to stop apologizing all the time, here comes a new way to cleanse yourself of all that self-condemnation: e-pology.

Now that it's easier than ever to find old friends on the Internet, why not track down the kid you harassed in kindergarten for picking his nose?

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, "The Internet is giving rise to a newer phenomenon: the decades-late apology. The Web allows us to converse by email, a form of communication that often makes us braver and more impulsive -- and occasionally even more thoughtful -- about what we say."

Apparently the Web has helped Lemondrop readers tackle steps five and nine in our own personal 12-step program: We're admitting we're wrong and making amends.

An email or Facebook message gets bonus points for dignity and danger-avoidance -- he doesn't get to see you sweat it out while you're waiting for him to pass judgment, and she can't slap you for being a fool.

"It gives the other person time to reflect on how they are feeling about the situation and whether or not they want to forgive," April, 26, says. "All the while I can stress about it in the privacy of my own space."

Considering most of us use social media as our main means of communicating with our friends -- sometimes it's plain old practical, too. "I have sort of [e-pologized]," writer Amy Kuras told Lemondrop, describing how she squared away a political argument that occurred on Facebook. "The person lives in Pittsburgh, so face-to-face would have been difficult to achieve, and this friend and I mostly communicate via email anyway."

It's when you see the person face-to-face on a regular basis, and you skulk behind your keyboard to say you're sorry that the words seem to sound as lame as an apology issued by an unremarkable company spokesperson.

With entire sites devoted to helping you craft the "perfect apology" and spots for putting it out there for everyone to read -- a la the public apology -- the e-pology sounds like a bit of personal growth. Or are we hiding behind technology the way guys hide behind that lame "it's not you, it's me" excuse?