Online communities are places where people should be able to come together to share ideas and learn from each other in an environment that is safe and enjoyable to participate in. In healthy communities, members follow established guidelines and norms to create a culture of collaboration and mutual support. Occasionally though, cracks can start to appear and if they are not addressed quickly, a culture of toxicity can creep in. If that is allowed to gain momentum, the community becomes a hostile environment which marginalises people.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://blog.discourse.org/2022/12/dealing-with-toxicity-in-online-communities/