Characteristics of Gossip

John Wayne Gacy was a smart businessman

Characteristics of Gossip

When researchers study gossip, they don't all use the same definition. Most start with the same basic idea: Gossip is a conversation between two people that concerns a third person who is not present.

Different researchers then add a range of stipulations, such as:

The conversation takes place in private.

The people talking are transmitting information as though it were fact, but they have not confirmed the information as factual.

The people gossiping and the person being gossiped about know each other in real life.
By this definition, celebrity gossip is not really gossip unless the speaker and the listener are friends with the celebrity in question.

Something in the speaker's body language or tone of voice suggests a moral judgment about the information being relayed. For example, the sentence "Clara got a puppy" sounds pretty neutral. But if Clara lives in a college dorm that doesn't allow pets and the person speaking sounds scandalized, the sentence becomes gossip.
The people gossiping compare themselves in some way to the person being gossiped about, usually considering themselves to be superior to the subject.
For the purpose of this article, we'll use a fairly basic definition. When two people talk about a third, absent person and the conversation includes undertones of judgment or secrecy, it's gossip. We'll look at some of the basics of how gossip governs social groups next.
Gossip vs. Rumor
Rumors and gossip have similarly distasteful connotations, but researchers disagree about whether they are the same thing. Here's a rundown of different views on gossip and rumor:
They're the same.

Rumor is a specific type of gossip.

Gossip is based in fact, but rumors are based in hypotheses.
Gossip is a tool for maintaining social order, but rumor is a tool for explaining things that people do not understand.

Gossip relates something people believe has happened, but rumors express what people hope or fear will happen.

Gossip's Bad Reputation


Gossip has a pretty bad reputation. Nearly every major world religion cautions against gossiping and spreading rumors.

For example, the book of Leviticus, found in the Christian Bible and the Jewish Torah, states, "Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people" [ref].
\
Gossip is also contrary to the concept of right speech, which is part of the Eightfold Path to enlightenment that is central to Buddhism.

Many Islamic texts forbid both speaking and listening to gossip [ref].
In general, the secular world looks down on gossip as well.

Parents, self-help books and counselors caution people to avoid gossip. Books on business management present gossip as a threat to an organization's health and stability because it decreases morale and wastes employees' time.

The Ethics of Gossip


Delicate Information
Jason is suddenly terminated from his job. His co-workers begin to worry about their own job security -- Jason was well-liked and efficient, and his being fired came out of the blue. Morale begins to suffer as people wonder whether they will be next. Soon, people learn through the office grapevine that Jason had been stealing money from the company's charity fund drive, which he was coordinating.

Jason's co-workers need this information to feel secure in their own jobs, but it would not be appropriate for the company to broadcast it. In this kind of situation, a company's official sources of information can't answer employees' questions, so the employees turn to unofficial sources. For this reason, gossip is often prevalent in businesses that do not communicate well with their employees.

Spreading this information could be considered a violation of Jason's privacy or an assault on his character. In addition, it can be argued that people's confidence in Jason is more important than their sense of job security.

This example also demonstrates something that's typical of a lot of gossip. Most people would probably react to the news of Jason's theft with disbelief. However, everyone trusts that the source of the information is telling the truth -- they suspend their disbelief. Although the idea that someone as kind and responsible as Jason could be a thief can seem absurd, people will pass it on if they believe it to be true.

Being Prepared
Amanda lives in an apartment. One night, someone breaks into the apartment upstairs. Amanda learns that her upstairs neighbors were drug dealers and had recently been arrested. Her landlord evicted the neighbors, but they'd left most of their possessions in the apartment. Police theorize that the thief had bought drugs from the neighbors and had broken in looking for drugs or money.

Amanda is surprised, since she thought her neighborhood was a safe one. Her landlords clean out the upstairs apartment and rent it to a family who has a young daughter. Concerned for their safety, Amanda tells her new neighbors about the previous neighbors and the break-in.

Most people think of gossip as negative, but in this situation, Amanda could feel morally obligated to gossip. She's giving her neighbors information that they need to have to ensure their physical safety.

She and her neighbors also develop a bond of trust during the conversation, which can make it more likely that they will be able to trust and help each other in the future.

As these examples show, gossip and rumors have some similarities to urban legends. All three can make people aware of typically unspoken social rules and offer a warning of what could happen if the rules are disobeyed.

Gossip and urban legends can also take on a life of their own, spreading far beyond the social circle in which they originated.

Finally, people often adamantly believe rumors and urban legends they hear, in spite of evidence that they are not true.