>Not equivalent, but comparable yes.

I've tried to compare, and yes, the comparison is really possible, you are right.

The result of the comparison: they are completely different; if you apply the idea of a twit filter to each situation, the effects are not even in the same league.

>The online forum is real life without the facial, nonverbal information. The absence of that nonverbal info does not imply that all social norms are different too. Behind the keyboards are sitting real people with real emotions.

Except that the relations between these people are different here than at home, workplace etc. We are mostly benevolent strangers here, not having too much of influence over each other's lives, which makes it easier to manage. More like a bar than a workplace, in the way that you can pick the conversations you will join, and pick people with whom you don't want to sit at the same table. But that's where the similarity ends - you drop in whenever you want and all the conversations are waiting for you; you can join a conversation from five years ago (or five years ahead - coming soon in new version).