Firing Gunshots To Keep Rent Down

Firing Gunshots To Keep Rent Down is an online axiom meant to do something intentionally unappealing in order to keep unwanted visitors out of an online space. The catchphrase comes from a joke by Twitter user @2Brazy4u, who joked that he would periodically fire his gun into the air at night in order to give off the impression that his neighborhood was dangerous, thus dissuading would-be gentrifiers from moving in and causing that area's median rent to rise. The phrase began seeing increased use in 2022 when Tumblr users began intentionally posting cringeworthy content in order to ward off Twitter users who might be interested in making an account following Elon Musk's acquisition of the company .