Fr, the people sees on internet a way to have peers confirmation.
It's human, it's the way we are and I can't deny that I've been in that trap too.
The big problem is that it goes wayyyyy too far, and as you say, when it impacts real life, that's a huge problem.
Faking things like that is disgusting tho. I hope the new generation will have better morals, if they are a new generation...