People get into rp on the internet because they like to tell stories and want to tell stories. Sometimes, it's their own original stuff, sometimes it's because they like a fandom and want to 'play' in that world. Doesn't matter which. But they could just write original fiction or fan fic if they just wanted to write stories.
No. Instead they want to rp - they want interaction, usually because they realise that something is missing in their life and they need to fill it. That in itself isn't bad, but there are people out there who like to hurt and manipulate people. (They probably have something missing in their life too, or have suffered abuse.) Enter those, and rp becomes an awful thing to be in.
I’m sorry... yeah, there’s a lot of creepy, awful folks sometimes, and yeah, rp is very appealing if you’re isolated and have trouble making friends. I rarely write fic anymore, but I probably should do that more!
Don't give up writing! I got into rp because I played DnD and other games at uni and it was great. I thought I'd find the same thing online, but soon found out that it wasn't like that at all. In the end, I found writing alone was better for me. I'm just astounded that rp itself has not really changed.
I see how the work of some writers that I used to read has suffered greatly because they work on too many projects every year.