I sometimes wonder if the world were as angry, as condescending, as quick to judge, to mock,

and to tear down when I was younger as it seems now. And maybe I was just naive to those things.

Or if things have truly changed for the worse in those regards.

I think about how today, if someone doesn't like something for some small reason,

sometimes not even legitimate, they don't just move on or try something else,

but feel the need to dramatize and exaggerate while shouting their negativity from the metaphorical rooftops.

Then it hit me.

The reason why things may have changed and it's increased anonymity.

When there's no face to go along with a negative comment,

people can say whatever they want without the corresponding negative attention turning back on the speaker.

People who wouldn't normally speak out with hate are empowered by the mask of an online persona.

It's dangerous to feel invincible and to pay no heed to social mores, to never be asked to feel

empathy, nor to sit back and think through a reaction, but instead to always react with a gut punch,

immediate, and very public response. It's also dangerous on the flip side, the times when someone

believes they're anonymous and therefore protected,

but either they reveal their true identity or they take action that removes the protective bubble.

It happens when a young teen is chatting online with someone they believe is also a teen,

bemoaning their life's woes and the like,

only to be sharing intimate information and personal details

with what turns out to be an online predator.

At the same time, there are positives of an online culture of connection.

There are also the dangers.

...