Victimisation on the internet thread

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29678989

There are excuses, but what are the reasons?

A softball question. My take is it's mostly done for the pure gratification of exercising power, based in the same dynamic as chickens asserting a pecking order. If you can peck at another with impunity, then you are higher in the order. The internet allows much more impunity than real life, so this behavior flourishes online, especially among those who for one reason or another feel this drive most strongly.

In facultative siblicidal animals, fighting is frequent, but does not always lead to death of a sibling; this type of behavior often exists in patterns for different species. For instance, in the blue-footed booby, a sibling may be hit by a nest mate only once a day for a couple of weeks and then attacked at random, leading to its death.

Some of what I've read - like the abuse on Twitter - is so deranged and persistent that I think the peeps have something bigger to hide - like criminal records, child porn, human trafficking, etc.

http://i.imgur.com/7gI1dwk.jpg

"Internet trolls could face up to two years in jail under new laws, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said. "
https://twitter.com/JackofKent says this is already in Bill