There is, but it has more to do with the people joining later and not understanding/respecting the unwritten laws of the community.

Here's an interesting essay about this effect: http://shirky.com/writings/group_enemy.html

There isn't. There's a tendency to paint the past in gold.

“I'm 65 years old. Everyday the future looks a little bit darker. But the past, even the grimy parts of it, well, it just keeps on getting brighter all the time.” ― Alan Moore, Watchmen

They either grow (and change) or die. For those who liked the way they startedn, both of these.tend to look like forms of “get worse”, which is, of course, entirely subjective.