Blog Post #11

 EOTO Presentation #2

        During these presentations, one thing in particular stood out to me. That was the idea of "gatekeeping". Gatekeeping has become a popular social media term that means "the intentional withholding of information, knowledge, access, or opportunity - keeping these things all to yourself". This term is often used when online personalities do not reveal details about little things such as the music they listen to or the clothes they are wearing, creating a feeling of exclusivity. However, gatekeeping within the government is an incredibly important issue that limits access to different information. Gatekeeping refers to filtering information for decimation. The government uses this to hide certain things from the American public. It changes how we receive information. 

    Gatekeeping is not only used by the government. In the 1950s, gatekeeping was brought into the newsroom. News anchors were able to limit the information they shared to the public. This led to an imbalance in power dynamics. Those in charge of creating news scripts now had power over the American people. The American people began to receive filtered information without their knowledge. People were unaware of what they were missing.  

    Since then, gatekeeping has been used in many different fields. Gatekeeping is prevalent in Hollywood. There is a place known as "Bohemian Grove", a secret elite retreat in California where different powerful figures go each year. Ranging from former presidents to CEOs and musicians, the details are unknown. They all partake in grand discussions and unusual rituals, but no one knows exactly what goes on. The public has begin to question why these people attend this retreat and the purpose of it. Why do all of these powerful figures gather together? Is there something bigger behind the scenes that the public is not aware of? It is likely the public will never find out. 

    Gatekeeping has also being used countless times in the science world. It is commonly believed that the cure for cancer has been found. However, the economic impact of the cancer industry has caused the scientists who made this discovery to be silenced. Large medical companies make billions off of cancer treatments, CEOs of these companies do not want to lose this revenue. The same thing goes for Covid. Many companies made millions or even billions off of products necessary to survive covid or prevent covid. Hand sanitizer, masks, paper goods, and even vaccines are all manufactured by companies trying to make a profit. Again, these CEOs do not want to lose huge streams of revenue. 

    One of the most interesting examples of gatekeeping came from the music industry. The idea of artists selling their soul to some "power" or "Illuminati" was not something I was aware of until this year. The various conspiracies and secret meetings between artists however does lead me to believe there are some dark industry secrets. There have been numerous examples of artists speaking out against these secret societies who then suddenly face different controversies or career failure. One of the most notable being Kanye West. When he attempted to expose these controversies, his career and his public image suddenly faced a steep decline. The real reason could absolutely be due to his mental health, however, it is unclear. 

    While gatekeeping does play an important role in learning information from the government, we still see this idea impact countless other elements of our lives. Gatekeeping is a dangerous tool to prevent the spreading of information. Transparency must be advocated for.