The problem with Internet comments isn't really incivility per se, but rather a free ridership problem. That is, people are getting to use a platform created by

The problem with Internet comments isn't really incivility per se, but rather a free ridership problem. That is, people are getting to use a platform created by others without incurring any costs if they cause damage to that platform. I'd argue that incivility itself isn't even necessarily a bad thing, and that the real goal shouldn't be eliminating incivility, but rather making people put their money where their mouths are. (So to speak.)