One of the most annoying occurrences on the internet is when people start acting tough. Most commonplace on forums, the behavior is seen through comment wars where people, often complete strangers, begin threatening others with dire consequences or begins making tall claims that appear too noble to be real. One of life’s great mysteries is why people act tough on the internet and we try to explain this unexplainable behavior.
Zero accountability
Here’s the thing about crusaders on the internet- no matter how tough they act on the internet, they never have to worry about being accountable for their words. Someone who challenges another person online or threatens them over the internet probably already knows that the “fight” would only be limited to the internet and that they’d never have to face any consequences for what they say online.
You can hide behind your internet persona
Most people spend years building up a persona online that may not be the best representation of their real selves. Folks who like to act tough online often do so by putting up a picture of someone who looks meaner/prettier/heavier than they are in real life, they plan their profiles carefully to create a certain tough image and they use words that only help to further that image.
No one will know if you’re a coward in real life
The single biggest reason why supposedly normal people begin acting tough on the internet is that they face absolutely no risk of someone finding out if they are cowards in real life or not. On the internet, you only have your words to make an impression and you can carefully plan your words and hide behind them very easily indeed.
