I hear about this a lot and am pretty sure it is true in many places but it's not that way everywhere. Just last night the mostly old folks on the local net were excited that someone was joining through some sort of gateway for digital modes. But I certainly know the gatekeeper types you're referring too and they exist in many hobbies that grew into popularity during earlier eras. I've heard in some places the younger crowd has formed their own clubs that focus more on digital modes, which is one way around the gatekeepers, but still sad because the hobby is at its heart about sharing experience, which they have decades of.