I suspect that the effect is caused more by immediacy than by anonymity.
People usually use their real names in e-mails and on Facebook, yet the level of politeness can still be low.
It is too easy to tap out an electronic message and send it off without giving it due thought, whereas with a hand-written message you might tend to re-read it and may consider not sending it or, at least, re-drafting it.
One benefit of anonymity is that people tend to engage more. On Facebook, many people have accounts but use them just to view other people's posts rather than to contribute anything themselves. If they can comment anonymously, such as on TOTV, I suspect that they are more likely to join in the conversation.
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