Walled Garden
Etymology
A gardening image adopted by the telecom and tech industries in the 1990s — often credited to cable magnate John Malone — for services that confined subscribers to approved content. AOL was the classic early example; later app stores and social networks revived the model. The metaphor is pointed: the garden is pleasant, but it is walled.
noun phrase · /WAWLD GAR-dun/
A platform that keeps users, content, and data inside its own boundaries, limiting exit and interoperability.
What it names
Controlled digital enclosures, clarifying why leaving a service can feel impossible.
Example
Your photos, friends, and purchases all live inside the walled garden, which is exactly why you never leave.
Related idea
A walled garden is the architecture that produces lock-in: the walls are the design, and the difficulty of leaving is the effect.