Real world internet flaming won’t work without ninja disguise

Hi, when you type “angry internet” into Google images, you get a picture of me!

Everyone knows the internet’s strength is through its anonymity. Unfortunately, this is also its greatest weakness. The internet is plagued with bitter, faceless douchebags who troll message boards, rip apart YouTube videos, and argue to the death at IMDb about how The Dark Knight is totally going to be more awesome than The Incredible Hulk. Chances these same people will be so callous to your face? Probably none.
New Scientist says this is attributed to “deindividuation,” the process where an individual loses an identity and feels less compelled to conform to social norms. Because the internet allows distance between people, people feel more comfortable lashing out and saying what they really think without severe consequences. Of course, you probably didn’t need a scientist to tell you that.