When I feel attacked online I stop going to the places where I don’t feel welcome. As you say, some people react by engaging and escalating, but I don’t think most people stick around long in those situations. What this guy is saying seems to be that the people who escalate are likely people who already behave that way offline.
My experience is that people are more socially refined when offline and that anti-social behavior is there but gets corrected and contained. Offline experiences can escalate much more but at tge same time there seems to be more conflict resolution. Everything is more intense.
But it’s refreshing to read about a different view on the topic.
My opinion is that it's rooted in the anonymity people feel on the 'Net. There are no, if little consequences to being a jerk online---not nearly like in "real life".
The other problem I see is that a person says what they feel in the moment---and then they move on. But the (emotionally charged) comment from that moment lives on, potentially for years. The "energy" doesn't dissipate with time like it does in "real life".
It’s not anonymity but the distance that matters. Plenty of people on Facebook with their real names, locations (through photos and events) don’t seem to care about saying things that they may not say face to face.
I think there are consequences, and I think the problem is jerks favor the punch in the gut over lukewarm ignorance they receive in return for little honest contributions. It's probably a natural tendency of a "superflat" social environment that hateful low-effort remarks pays off better.
