Why do you think it is that people on the internet can be so harsh with their comments and opinions?

I am referring to how sometimes people post answers to questions (and not just on this site) that are harshly worded, offensive in a way that people would not be in real life. I am thinking of threads where people get attacked verbally to the point where they may end up leaving for good. I am thinking also of threads where people ask a question and the answers are so harsh and accusatory that this may discourage others from asking anything that may be controversial or may be misconstrued. I have hesitated to ask or decided not to ask certain questions that i think could be taken the wrong way, or that i think are just not worth the heated debate they may cause.

In “real life,” meaning face to face, people are not so harsh and strong with each other, usually.

Do you think it is because of the relative anonymity of the internet?

Do you think it is because the written word is more “black and white” than the spoken word?

What other reasons do you think it may be due to?