The first axis is doing versus talking, and the second is the hobby versus the kit. In nearly every case I’ve seen, people roughly sort themselves into one of these categories.
Doing the thing. These are the folks who enjoy doing the actual activity: taking photos, skiing, golfing, hiking, hunting, whatever. You’ll find them out in the forest, on the slopes, or on the course. Collecting the kit. These folks enjoy collecting, maintaining, tuning, and fiddling with the kit. They tend to be attracted to kit-heavy hobbies like photography, but it seems like you can find them everywhere. Talking about the thing. This group enjoys discussing the activity. In-person, on forums, on Twitter, on Reddit, or anywhere else. They’ll talk technique, or pro competition, or about their day on the course. Talking about the kit. Like the previous group, these people enjoy the discussion. Instead of talking about the activity, they’ll talk about kit. Whether it’s if this season’s model is better than last’s, or the optimal iron temperature, they want to talk gear. There’s some crossover between each of these categories, of course, but most communities and people primarily self-select into one of them. Outsiders unaware of this selection may come from the wrong quadrant, and chafe against the community before adapting or leaving.