What is it about haters?

What is it about digital communication that just brings out the worst in people? I promise you back in the old days when people wrote letters to each other, they did not go out of their way to write a spiteful, nasty missive about what a "bitch" someone is or is not or how "lame" or "stupid" and any other negative, nasty pejorative they can come up with. This popped into my mind, because I was reading some chat areas and noticed an abundance of hateful messages. What is about the computer and Internet that just puts a whole new spin on the word "spew"? The freedom to show your hatefulness just because you've never met the other person is so stunning to me. We use the computer to communicate and lose our good manners. Some of the nasty comments aren't even necessary or relevant. It's like somebody taking out their every negative thought and vomiting it at the invisible audience on the other side. I just don't get it. I also recently read an online reporter, who for no apparent or good reason, completely called a very popular and well-respected actor a lot of names and referred to this person as "Euro-trash." The reporter, who didn't even know said actor, received numerous responses to his needless attack. All the reporter did was alienate his readers -- and for no good reason. Like I said, we have lost our manners when it comes to electronic communication. We feel free to be as nasty and vitriolic as possible. And it's sad and shameful. Maybe we should rethink our need to behave like this just because we're hidden behind the glow of our computer screens.