The more we live online and have a presence online, and the more that presence is mixed with our off-line identities, the more we will face consequences for our online actions. We feel the emotional repercussions of our online actions (both positive and negative), even if we never have to have that experience face-to-face. As we continue into the 21st century and the Internet becomes more and more integrated into "self" (it is already a major part of our lives), we have no choice but to stop thinking about the Internet as "other" (as fantasy, as fake, as a place where we can behave any way we want) and behave online as we would in person. It is plausible that as the decades roll forward, the line in the sand will disappear. For now, we have the comfort of being somewhat (not entirely) anonymous if we want, but our emotions and "instinctual" physical responses to stimuli do not know the difference.
