While scrolling through Instagram, one may be intrigued by someone wearing a pretty jacket. The comments are filled with viewers asking where the jacket is from, yet the video creator’s reply is nowhere to be found. This phenomenon is known as “gatekeeping,” which is when people intentionally withhold certain information that may be significant or unique to them, such as favorite songs or childhood comfort shows. Often, the subject that an individual gatekeeps is exclusive or memorable to that specific person.

The topic of gatekeeping has always been widespread on social media. With Billie Eilish’s latest album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” internet gatekeeping has become more widespread. Eilish, a 22-year-old singer who continuously tops the charts, had not always received acclaim on social media. Her recent song “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” gained immense recognition, and a significant chunk of its fame was garnered from its virality on social media. As a result, Eilish’s fandom multiplied — but old fans were not welcoming of new ones. Instead of celebrating Eilish’s widespread popularity, the artist’s old fans felt threatened by the influx of new admirers. In fact, old supporters  constantly belittled Eilish’s new supporters by asking them to name some of Eilish’s original, “underground” songs. However, finding “underground” songs has become significantly more difficult for recent fans due to old fans’ gatekeeping. 

The Billie Eilish situation poses the question of why people gatekeep. It is natural to attribute gatekeeping to one cause — selfishness. However, further research suggests gatekeeping’s association with various psychological factors such as the want for superiority or the desire for individualism. 

Because gatekeeping can be exploited to deprive others from specific knowledge, some individuals become gatekeepers as a result of craving superiority. For instance, if group A discovers secret intel and does not inform group B, the vast majority would consider group A higher in status for knowing undisclosed information. Worst of all, group B may be belittled or looked down upon. 

Said a writer of The Teen Magazine, Sneha Bhat, “Gatekeeping can provide some individuals with a sense of superiority or control. By excluding others or making them feel unwelcome, gatekeepers may feel more important, knowledgeable or unique within their chosen community.”

Furthermore, individuals also gatekeep specific activities or traits to retain a facet of their identity that they perceive only special to themselves. For example, when a band one has cheered on since childhood suddenly goes mainstream, they may feel like a part of their special identity is gone. 

Said Bhat, “Some people may see their interests or hobbies as integral parts of their identity. When these interests become more mainstream or commercialized, gatekeepers may perceive it as a threat to their sense of self.” 

In other words, once someone’s unique pastimes, skills and hobbies are revealed to the world, their defining — and rather individualized — traits are lost. 

Another theory surrounding gatekeeping is the tendency for humans to create mental “in-groups” and “out-groups.” An “in-group” consists of people that one categorizes as similar to themselves, and an “out-group” is a group of individuals that one views negatively or does not emotionally relate to. 

Said Steve Bryne, an experienced author for loudwire.com, “Way back in the 1950s, social psychologists noticed that it is incredibly easy to divide people into the in-group and the out-group. In ambiguous settings, we look to associate with our peers and we align against those who are different.” 

This is why individuals gatekeep things from the people they categorize as “out-groups,” maintaining the exclusivity and mutual similarities of their “in-group.”

Although gatekeeping can allow one to feel “special,” it could lead to a rather unhealthy psychological reaction. Instead of gatekeeping, one should discover characteristics of themselves through productive actions such as frequent participation in hobbies, new membership of an organization or involvement in community service.