One of the downsides to the anonymity and freedom offered by cyberspace is the lack of notions of responsibility. One can say things in cyberspace that one would not dream of uttering to another's face, and be secure that the worst one will face is a shout back (though many service providers have taken a stand against hate mail). Anyone who has ever spent time in an online service chat room or an IRC channel can attest to the dumbing-down of conversation, as people adopt ever more extreme stances in the fight to be heard over everyone else.
