Definition

The act of preventing others from accessing or enjoying something, usually by claiming they're not 'real' fans or don't deserve it. The online equivalent of pulling up the ladder after you've climbed it.

Example Usage

Stop gatekeeping that band, let people discover music without a purity test.

Origin

Academic term from sociology describing controlling access to resources, adopted by internet culture to call out exclusive behavior

Fun Fact

The internet has created meta-gatekeeping, where people gatekeep who's allowed to call out gatekeeping, creating infinite recursive drama.

Source: Internet community moderation discourse

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