The art of strategic gatekeeping

And why it matters in today's fast-paced social media landscape.

Recently, I posted a video sharing three of my favorite restaurants in Rome, and in the video, I mentioned that there are certain places I would never share publicly via social media. A few outraged viewers made their discontent with this sentiment known in my comments.

“no offense but when you say you’re not going to tell us the good places on social media i’m going to continue scrolling and not finish your video”

First, can we please retire the internet habit of announcing your departure? You know you can just keep scrolling without telling me?

Second, I stand by my approach to strategic social media gatekeeping because it is an essential way to protect local haunts from the masses of tourists that visit Italy each year. Honestly, if a writer or creator says they never do this—even a little bit—they’re probably lying.

The responsibility behind what we share

The word gatekeeping almost always sparks outrage. It’s dripping with negativity—seen as elitist, exclusionary, or even selfish.

As digital platforms have exploded over the last few decades, audiences have come to expect insider information to be handed over freely and en masse. We see this in the rise of buzzwords like hidden gems and experience it like a local—phrases that social media algorithms and travel publications love because they promise access to something exclusive.

This ravenous hunt for under-the-radar spots on social media is a double-edged sword. When a once-quiet restaurant or family-run shop gets flooded overnight because it was featured in a viral video, it often loses what makes it special in the first place.

Overexposure doesn’t just harm businesses—it changes entire neighborhoods. You can see it in the tacky souvenir shops that replace decades-old bakeries, the Airbnb listings that outprice long-term renters, and the trattorie where residents can no longer get a Friday night reservation without planning weeks in advance.

Why strategic gatekeeping isn’t a negative thing

I’m coining the term strategic gatekeeping to formally describe what has been my intentional approach to sharing all along.

It boils down to two key principles that I examine my own decisions through:

1. Having the restraint to be selective about what we share

2. Being mindful about where and how we share

This approach enables me to better respect the people, businesses, and communities that make these places worth visiting in the first place.

Having the restraint to be selective about what we share

Not every place we love needs to be broadcast to a wide audience. Some restaurants, cafés, or shops are meant to serve their local communities and don’t exist to feed the tourism machine in Italy.

As I’ve garnered a small audience on social media, I’ve gotten into the habit of asking a business if they’re comfortable being featured. I’ve seen firsthand the impact my past recommendations have had—thankfully, all positive so far. But not every business wants or needs the attention of the masses of international tourists who visit annually.

Not to go all Uncle Ben on you, but it is irresponsible for anyone with a platform to disregard this responsibility. And the information we share is equally as important as the where and how it is shared.

Being mindful about where and how we share

Being intentional about the vehicle for sharing is the true driver behind the idea of strategic gatekeeping. We should choose platforms and formats thoughtfully. Keeping the potential scale of exposure and the type of audience it will reach at the forefront of the decision.

What does this look like in practice? For me, it means locking a good portion of my Rome recommendations up in my eBook that travelers can purchase. This way, I’m sharing valuable insider knowledge in a controlled space, rather than broadcasting it widely for anyone to find instantly.

If paywalling content isn’t your cup of tea, sharing information through written formats like articles, blogs, or newsletters is an easy way to keep the reach smaller and more controlled. Unlike social media content that algorithms can push out to millions of users in a short period of time, the written word tends to have a more limited impact (sorry, written word—I do love you!).

Bad faith creators in a content economy

I tend to mention a lot in my content that many so-called “creators” don’t build platforms with integrity and, in large part, steal content from real local creators. It just really irks me, okay!

This is exactly why strategic gatekeeping matters. These bad-faith creators will indiscriminately steal, share, and exploit insider knowledge for quick views or followers, oftentimes overshadowing the original source altogether with their blitzkrieg-style approach to content.

In a content economy saturated with fast, click-driven sharing, strategic gatekeeping acts as a protective filter. Through this intentionality, we can work to preserve the integrity of local cultures and encourage our audiences to see the value in what we share.

Strategic gatekeeping isn’t a bad thing. It means understanding that places don’t exist simply to please tourists. It’s a way to show respect for the people, places, and cultures that make travel meaningful.

If this resonated with you, please hit like, share it with your fellow travelers, or drop a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you liked this post, I would suggest giving my post on virality in Italy a read next.

Chasing virality is ruining Italy.