🔎 Why It Turns Noxious Elitism creep: What used to be open, grassroots culture shifts into a hierarchy of who has the right clothes, the right apartment, the right connections. Status battles: Instead of community, people compete for visibility — who gets into the right bar, who’s seen at the right gallery, who’s “in” with the right crowd. Exclusion: Long‑time residents and authentic voices get pushed out, while newcomers gatekeep the very culture they colonized. Performative coolness: The vibe becomes less about genuine creativity and more about signaling — “I belong here because I can afford it.”