Internet
gatekeep
What does gatekeep mean?
Part of the ironic "gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss" meme trio, often used jokingly.
"My personality is just gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss."
Origin
"Gatekeeping" comes from older sociology and media theory about who controls access to information. Gen Z repurposed it around 2020 for hoarding niche knowledge, cemented by the "gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss" meme.
Frequently asked questions
What does gatekeep mean?
To gatekeep means to hoard access or information about something so others can't easily get in on it, keeping it exclusive.
Where did gatekeep come from?
It comes from sociology and media theory and was repurposed by Gen Z around 2020, helped by the "gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss" meme.
Is gatekeeping a bad thing?
It's generally framed negatively, as being needlessly exclusive, though minor gatekeeping is often joked about.
How do you use gatekeep in a sentence?
For example: "stop gatekeeping and tell me where you got it."
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