I Quit Twitter (It’s Not You; It’s Me)

IM and SMS aren't public forums where people you don't know can barge in with their own take on what you just wrote, though. IRC can be, but it would be very difficult to have a grasp on every IRC conversation happening everywhere so you could respond to something you find incredulous.

Unlike Twitter, which incentivizes people carrying on infinite numbers of asynchronous conversations, and encourages people to find them by bringing up 'interesting' ones on the timeline.

I think there's a degree of civility brought about by IM, SMS in particular as you normally know the person, or have interacted with them long enough so that you consider them (and they consider you) part of your 'circle'.

IRC - on specialist forums perhaps there is some civility because everyone in that forum is likely experienced and interested, so mutual respect and good manners reign.

But when you put together a heterogeneous group of people with no defined clear goal for the group and mix in anonymity by default, you get 4chan.

It'd make an interesting sociological study, which factors (privacy, anonymity, interest group, etc.) correlate with aggressive online social groups.

100%, it's always these brownie points, it's like the currency of the virtual world, eventually people will reference and base everything about it, and will do anything to have a "ratio" in a form of wining. That's why -and as much as it sounds absurd-, I like the digital interactions with no upvotes/brownies, like anonymous boards (4chan etc.) or just usual chats.