Why are there so many assholes on the internet?

I'm a pretty nice guy in person and that trait carries over for me onto the internet and I understand if your an asshole in person, but why go against your nature and become a jerk if your usually not?

(sorry if this is already a topic)[h2]

Because no one knows who I am online....bitch.

Main reason : Anonymity

Because fuck random assholes on the internet.

Little consequences to being an asshole on the web.

Don't be a pansy.

I'd like to know this too.

Cuz they're pussys irl.

Yeah! I'm a really nice person irl, especially to people I dont know well. But sometimes being an ass online is a good stress reliever, and usually people dont take offence when people say mean things to them online, because everyone does it, and it really doesnt matter if someone from the other side of the planet says "you're a fag!". And people who do take those things badly, they should just learn that not everyone is going to like them, there's always people who will say bad things to them, and its better that people you dont know says those things to them in the internet, because who cares what total strangers think about you.

But even in the internet, there's places where I try to be nice to people, like Fakku. I like the people here (well, not all ofcourse, but still) and I like hanging around here, so I'm nice to people here. But on on anonymous sites where I dont know anything about other people, I dont mind being an ass sometimes.
And irl, when I'm around people I know very well (like my family, bf and some other people) I can act like an ass sometimes. But thats a bit different thing, because we know each other very well and we can call each others with names or say some things that other people might find mean, because we know that the person saying it doesnt mean it, its more like friendly teasing or something D:

babblebabble, dinner time ->

You're a fag!

simple, they like the attention, it makes them feel entertained especially if they have self-proclaimed themselves 'better than all you assholes out there'. Or they're just mad at the world or something along that line. Finally being anonymous will result in their ass being safe to dig holes with.

Its easier to release annoyance/anger on people you don't personally know. And its also easy to hide behind technology so people feel more comfortable being jerks.

The majority of people put on a face for people in real life. Polite, kind, not particularly confrontational. Don't mistake this for the way they think or wish to behave. The reason people can let loose on the internet is because the consequences are severely reduced or downright nonexistent.

People that are assholes online are assholes offline as well. Sometimes they're just really good at hiding it.

Why are there so many idiots on the internet? HMM.

Who i am on the net is somewhat who i am in RL.. less jokes and skullfucking.

I only act like an asshole when im playing Call Of Duty because its required that you talk some shit!!!

There are many assholes on the internet, because it's a way for shallow pitiful individuals to let out their stress. Due to the fact that they have no lives, are virgins, fap 24/7, and have little to no social interactions, it's just used as an outlet. But you have to realize there are people called "trolls" and there are people called "assholes" online. Don't get mixed up between a troll and an asshole. An asshole is one who is devoid of any intelligence and is illiterate. He can't read, yet he can type. He ignores what others say and simply just spouts whatever the fuck he wants. Now a troll, is someone who is simply very sarcastic. He doesn't MEAN to offend you, just wants you to be aware that this is the internet, and that it's not life. If you are indeed offended though, he will react by a) trying to get you to realize he was trolling or b)continuing to troll you because he knows you have this kind of face:

Then there are just those sour people who just don't give a fuck about anyone but themselves.. the only thing you can do about those things are just ignoring them. It's not even worth caring about. Just move on. Just take what you want and leave what you don't on the web. And if you ever get too serious, you lose the game.

The world holds all kinds of people, the internet just gives them a playing field.

Because as the future of our race we must be superior, if you are as idiotic as the lesser of our race you deserve to fall from our glory and into the maws of those savages, besides kids need to go through a trial through fire, they're too weak and must learn how to drive out the weak lest they survive our trolololing.

I think that answers this question. Because I'm pretty sure most of them will not do the same things to people in real life.

This is meant as an addition to everything that's been said, not as a single answer to the question:

Sometimes, people come off as assholes when they don't mean to. When you're just reading words on a page, it can be hard, if not impossible, to get what the other person means. Sarcasm constantly falls flat, things meant as light-hearted jokes are taken as serious insults, and the like. This has happened with several users of Fakku, in fact; well-meaning people were seen as complete assholes due to miscommunication (and sometimes butthurt from people that were corrected in an argument).

Because you can't get punched in the face over the internet.