There are plenty of humans who enjoy vulgar online socialization, and for many of them, online (para-)socializing is the increasingly dominant form of socialization. The mere fact that it's easier to socialize over the internet means it will always be the plane of least resistance. I won't be meeting anyone at 3am but I'll happily shitpost on HN about Covid vaccines.

For anyone who gets angry during their two minutes of hate sessions, consider this: try to imagine the most absurd caricature of your out-group (whether that be "leftists" or "ultra MAGA republicans"). Then try to imagine all the people you know in real life who belong to that group. Do they really fit the stereotype in your head, or have you applied all the worst attributes of the collective to everyone in it?

This is why I don't buy all the "civil war" talk - just because people interact more angrily online doesn't mean they're willing to fight each other in real life. We need to modulate our emotional responses to the tiny slice of hyperreality we consume through our phones.

There is a lot of evidence that says online experiences influence offline behavior (both are "real life"). Look at the very many, online-inspired, extremist attacks. Look at the impact of misinformation and disinformation - as a simple example, it killed possibly hundreds of thousands of Americans do to poor vaccination rates.

It sounds like you've never been to Australia.