> And I’m sure most of these kids would have NEVER said any of those things in person, but being anonymous gives you a strange power and a weird desire to say h

> And I’m sure most of these kids would have NEVER said any of those things in person, but being anonymous gives you a strange power and a weird desire to say harmful things. Not to your face, no... That's where I falter with the lamentations about the toxicity of online forums; to me, it's not that the language or vulgarity is novel or new, because it's not. At least, not in my personal experience. What is new, and what makes the vulgar abuse more dangerous online, is that it has far greater reach. Many more people will read the forum comments than would have heard the spoken comments. So, ie, where previously conspiracy theorists were a small community that relied on printed zines, limited run books, and (sometimes) radio; the "scene" took a nosedive when the internet took off. Where listening to Art Bell and reading the Whole Earth Catalog was humorously enjoyable and rarely offensive, the online forums and facebook groups have given rise to QAnon. There's something about the medium that's altering the message.