Nice people? In the internet? Don't make me laugh.

The idea that social networking sites may be making their users more "kindly" is very flawed at best. Yes, perhaps it might make some individuals nicer because they are worried about the fact that many of the people with whom they have close ties will be offended by something the individual writes or does, and this issue is compounded by the fact that it is the nature of these social networking sites to make everything you write and do accessible to the public. This, however, is not necessarily the norm. I have seen many instances of people, rather than using their weak ties for extending their network of friends, instead using their weak ties as a punching bag - something upon which to heap all of their pent up rage and bitterness; It's cathartic. I myself have done it on occasion, and it has also been done to me. The problem of what you have written being out in the open for all of your close friends to see is actually not so much a problem as it is a minor nuisance. All it takes to keep your friends from seeing what you're doing, on facebook at least, is to delete the feed announcement that is generated - two clicks and it's gone. It only shows up in the news feed of the person it's directed at. It's a piece of cake. So while social networking may cause individuals who don't know any better to become nicer, it definitely does not hold up for the majority.