[scardine]

My theory is that communities like HN and StackOverflow are a magnet for very smart people with a very direct style of communication. Yes, they sound sassy or snarky but most have no intention to be mean. They just lack most of the brain circuitry to refrain from comment or beat around the bush.

[DoreenMichele]

In person, voice tone, facial expression etc help convey warmth and kindness. On the internet, all you have is words (unless you go out of your way to include emoticons, gifs, etc, which are not the norm on HN). This often sounds far harsher than was intended.