Ian Botham has learned the hard way that 'viral' is the last word you want attached to your penis.

In yet another blow when it comes to the older generation using technology, a photo of the famed British cricketer's appendage was shown on his validated Twitter account, the unfortunately named "BeefyBotham".

Let's talk about sext: It's less shameful to admit your inability to handle intricacies of social media than to admit that a person likes sex.

As the tweet went viral and was shared from multiple Twitter accounts and blogs, the cricketer was roundly mocked for the unflattering photo and mishap. In response, Botham declared it was the work of a 'hacker' which absolved him of the heinous crime of mistakenly publishing a dick pic. This is a popular defence, one used by other crotch exposures like United States politician Anthony Weiner and many others. Apparently it's less shameful to admit your inability to handle the intricacies of social media than it is to admit something more disturbing: that a person likes sex and will find a myriad ways to indulge. This is perfectly illustrated when it comes to sexting - the pairing of desire with technology, sharing explicit fantasies, photos and videos.

The shame surrounding sexts is hard to reconcile with the fact it is rising in popularity. A report by McAfee states 54 per cent of surveyed phone users send or receive sexually charged messages, audio and video and this figure skyrockets to 74 per cent when focused on users aged 18-24.