Facebook comic group drama made me realize gatekeeping is worse than I thought

I joined a local comic fan group on Facebook last month to trade old issues. I posted a photo of my Black Panther collection and someone immediately commented that I wasn't a 'real fan' because I didn't know the issue numbers by heart. It got heated fast with 40 people arguing over what makes someone a true fan. Now I'm wondering: does that kind of gatekeeping push away new readers or does it actually keep the community strong? What's your take on this?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielr9918d ago

Call it gatekeeping but newcomers need to earn their spot in any community.

fiona_kim9718d ago

That "real fan" comment hit hard cause my friend got told the same thing for not knowing Spider-Man's exact first appearance date. She almost stopped collecting altogether and I think we lost a potential lifelong fan over some dumb gatekeeping.

the_eric16d ago

Did your friend ever tell the gatekeeper that knowing issue dates doesn't equal being a fan... cause I've been reading Spider-Man for over twenty years and I still look half that stuff up. What specifically made her almost quit - was it the way they said it or just the whole vibe of having to prove herself to someone who probably read a wiki page that morning?