JK: I believe Twitter is a weapon of the Devil; 140 characters encouraging superficiality in thought as well as in language...worse and worse online behaviour that I'm sure, normally, she would never have spoken face-to-face...The new "friendship" doesn't even involve liking someone.
JM: But when I read many comments in other places it at least confirms what I have come to see is how many people lack empathy.
I think you get to the heart of this, by homing in on the lack of genuine feelings or empathy. Calling it a weapon of the devil might be seen as an exaggeration, but I think you mean it literally and make a very valid point. If digital communication deadens empathy, as research suggests might be the case, does it go further and actually encourage malevolent acts? From trolling at one end to ISIS at the other?
Why E-Mail May Be Hurting Off-Line Relationships
College students don't have as much as empathy they used to
There are also the positive feelings communicated online, like condolences for strangers. How genuine are they? Do the posters really feel sorry, or do they just want to be seen as 'caring'? If their online positive feelings are fake and/or all about their ego, does this inhibit their ability to show real positive feeling about other people?
Fake positive(?) + genuine negative(?) = what in real life?