(CNN) -- In the seven years since its founding, Twitter has become a go-to place for news updates, witty one-liners, political one-upmanship and even absurdist storytelling. It's also become a go-to place for intolerant bile. On Sunday night, Nina Davuluri, an American of Indian ancestry, was named Miss America. Immediately, the Twitterverse started spewing. "This is Miss America... not Miss Foreign Country," said @MeredithRoanell. "Congratulations Al-Qaeda. Our Miss America is one of you," posted @Blayne_MkItRain. What is it about Twitter? Whether the events are earthshaking or trivial, the site of more than a half-billion accounts has something to say -- and often, it's upset.
@highlight
The crowning of Miss America on Sunday led to angry, often bigoted tweets
@highlight
Twitter has become a go-to place for online anger
@highlight
Many reasons: It's fast, brief, requires little thought -- and anger is powerful
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Such behavior is less common on Facebook, where people interact mostly with friends
Facebook
This isn't the sort of thing that tends to happen as widely on @placeholder or other social media sites.
Facebook
"Most people's @placeholder accounts have multiple pictures of them, they've got connections to 'these are my friends.'
Facebook
"When I talk with students about how they use social media and say that a lot of employers will look to see what kinds of things you're posting on @placeholder or Twitter, I'm surprised by the number of people who say, 'Any employer that would stalk me that way online, I wouldn't want to work for them anyway.'"
Miss America
Miss America
Miss America
Miss America
After the nastiness with @placeholder, a number of people responded with positive tweets congratulating her.
Twitter
Twitter
Twitter
"People use @placeholder to get reactions out of others," she says.