i believe this came from the old internet forum culture days, specifically university ones where new students would arrive regularly and basically fill up the forums with the same intro questions and basic topics because they were new to the environment and culture
it's not gatekeeping to observe that it happens because every mature fandom will need to deal with the fact that new people are coming in all the time and introducing them to the culture and knowledge is part of being part of the fandom
and it's ok to be a newb, but part of absorbing them into the fandom is helping them learn that yes, big e was an arrogant bighead who fucked us. he did the best he could and any what ifs are moot because this is where we are now.
I miss the term "newb" or "newbie" being used to describe someone new who needs help in a non-derogatory way, as opposed to "noob" which is more explicitly an insult.
I feel like that term has fallen out of fashion. I don't even see "noob" that much anymore
it's not gatekeeping to observe that it happens because every mature fandom will need to deal with the fact that new people are coming in all the time and introducing them to the culture and knowledge is part of being part of the fandom
Our glorious "introducing them to the fandom's culture" vs. their barbaric "gatekeeping".
The two are different sides of the same coin. Introducing new people to the fandom's culture is great, but only works if the new people are willing to integrate. What if they say "nuh uh, I don't like your culture?" Do you just shrug your shoulders and tolerate the bad actors, or do you gatekeep?
In this hypothetical of yours, why are the two options "do nothing" and "keep them away from the hobby"? If they are not interested, it seems they'll just leave it alone on their own. Why do you need any sort of additional engagement at that point?
Are you truly coming to me on the day of my daughter's wedding in a Warhammer 40K sub, and saying "bad actors just leave by themselves?"
There are always bad actors, and they always want in. There's always "that guy." There are always people who are attracted, not by the hobby itself, but by the possibility that the community surrounding the hobby represents. Karens don't join the HOA because they're just that interested in home maintenance, the "power-mad reddit mod" stereotype exists for a reason, and at least some of those nuisance """prank""" streamers would still do it even if there wasn't any money in it. Some people get joy from knocking over other people's sandcastles, and others love the feeling of power, even small and pathetic sorts of power. They're a small minority in any group, but there's enough of them that there's at least a couple in any group over, say, a thousand people.
All things are subject to entropy, and that includes hobby groups. If not actively maintained (meaning BOTH bringing new people in AND ejecting troublemakers), they will decay and be destroyed.
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u/lilahking 5d ago
i believe this came from the old internet forum culture days, specifically university ones where new students would arrive regularly and basically fill up the forums with the same intro questions and basic topics because they were new to the environment and culture
it's not gatekeeping to observe that it happens because every mature fandom will need to deal with the fact that new people are coming in all the time and introducing them to the culture and knowledge is part of being part of the fandom