Why are there so many weird people online?
The weird people online that you’ve met are the same people you’ve met in person that didn’t strike you as odd. It’s amazing how different people will behave when they have a degree of anonymity and no consequences for speaking their mind. You can see something similar to when people wear disguises, like at costume parties. Even people who are normally shy behave more outgoing when their appearance is concealed, even when their true identity is known.