What has the incorporation of reality into cyberspace done to accountability?

Before the facebook and social media era, most everything on the internet was at least somewhat anonymous. You didn't use your real name in chat rooms or forums, you used a psuedo-name or nickname, which gave a person some freedom to be how they really wanted to be. Now, in the days of social media, we are no longer using nicknames, we are using real names and this is presenting problems in some areas. I have heard very little about this Ann Coulter person, but, I did read a bit about her comment or tweet calling President Obama a retard. I don't agree with name calling but, I have seen it all too much... As a moderator for a website, which allows anonymous comments (like this one), I have seen this too often. People love to call others names, especially if they can remain anonymous. So, Ann Coulter is taking it a step further, good for her. Most cowardly people wouldn't dream of making a comment like she did and actually put it out there to the public with acknowledgement that they made it, BUT, they would also say things like that to their friends, acquaintances, or whomever in a private conversation. So, what is the difference? She is speaking to the public as she would to her closest friends. At the same token, many people get very upset when comments are made publicly that they don't agree with and make statements like, "I won't read that because it didn't say who wrote it, so there is no accountability". So, a person can not win. If you say what you want to, without holding back, you are mean and people call you names, like hateful, hurtful, etc., and if you don't include your name when you comment on something you should not be believed because you posted anonymously. I guess it just seems like we are allowed to have an opinion and voice that opinion in a certain way, otherwise it is taken as hateful or hurtful. A double-edged sword may be a good way to describe it. I, for one, am not a sugar-coater, so I appreciate people who say how they feel and I believe in true freedom of speech.