This study explores the emergence of incivility in online communities, challenging the traditional perspective that attributes incivility to individual characteristics of actors and digital platforms. We argue that this narrow focus fails to recognize the complex interactions between these elements, leading to a rudimentary understanding of how incivility originates and evolves. To address this gap, our research employs a fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to examine a comprehensive dataset comprising approximately 4.3 million posts from 100 diverse online communities on Reddit. Through this analysis, we uncovered five distinct paths that converged into two primary community configurations: close-knit and scattered communities. Each configuration exhibits unique affordances contributing to incivility, shedding light on its nuanced and multifaceted nature. Therefore, this study highlights the dynamic interactions within sociotechnical systems and emphasizes the critical role of community-specific characteristics. We demonstrate that within the same digital platform, different social systems can impact user behaviors, including incivility.
