Rumors and Gossip Essay

Every human being relies on gossip so that they can know what others are doing in their lives, as well as know the latest developments of people they admire in their lives. Gossiping is a behavior that brings people together as they discuss both the positive and negative aspects of the main topic of discussion (Michelson et al. 376). People engaging in the gossip are interested in the information they will learn about their subject of interest. Talking about the lives and welfare of others is not only about discussing the negative sides, but it is also used as a form of reference where people can learn lessons. For instance, when the discussion is about the decisions an individual took that made the individual succeed in their personal and professional lives, then one would be willing and able to copy the idea and use it to their advantage (Dunbar 4). During gossip, people may exaggerate and use more words than required to describe a situation of an individual. The source of information might have heard it from another person, terming it as hearsay, or may have eavesdropped from relevant sources, on the other hand, it might be from the source itself. Despite the negative perceptions that people in the 15th and 16th Century had towards gossip, by punishing those engaging in the acts by putting bridles in their mouths, the modern individual thrives and depends on gossip for their survival. It ensures that people are aware of what is happening around them, enabling individuals to make decisions within the shortest time possible. For instance, a new employee in a workplace may have to rely on the gossip taking place in the organization so that they can learn about their new environment. This will make it easy to adjust and relate to the colleagues and other members of staffs in a professional manner.

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One purpose of gossip is that it allows people to engage in conversations that create an environment for them to exchange information about people or places. When engaging in a conversation classified as gossiping, the narrator has to use words that attract and maintain the attention of the listener (Dunbar 6). This means that language development takes place, allowing people to classify other individuals into groups with similar characteristics. In turn, this makes it possible to extend the social relationships through the establishment of networks. Networks connect people in different levels even though they have diverse backgrounds. In the long-term, a network becomes large since it comprises of people from different backgrounds and with the unique knowledge that can benefit the social relations.

Another purpose of gossip is that it provides an opportunity for individuals to learn about what others have gone through after making decisions that affected them negatively (Michelson et al. 370). This ensures that one avoids following the same path since they may have similar consequences that may affect their lives either in the short-term or in the long-term. the assumption made is that negative stories stick to the mind and are remembered more than positive experiences, as they instill fear, leading people to think critically and creatively (Levin and Arnold 55). When one remembers what they heard or saw another person experience due to a decision they made, then it becomes easy to avoid the path followed and adopt a different method of thinking. Preventive measures allow people avoid engaging in bad behavior. For instance, when one learns that a friend of stranger suffers from a certain medical condition because they misused drugs, then one will try their best to avoid adopting the same path.

Nowadays, gossip has become a method in which people earn their income as they collect information about public figures or other persons of special interest to the crowds and write stories about them (Levin and Arnold 17). With every click on the story, writers earn an income which motivates them to search for more content that will appeal to the audiences. In some instances, some of the information written about the particular person may not be true or there might be a twist to the honest information. One of the social sites that depend on gossip and rumors and attracts millions of readers and viewers to their official pages is the Thirty Mile Zone (TMZ), which writes information about celebrities, noting down the details of their lives. This means that anyone interested in learning about the positive and negative information about a person of interest will find the information on the website. The uploaded videos on the website act as proof that things actually happened, providing the evidence of what the authors of the different pieces write about.

One of the persons of interest whose information is on the TMZ website is the President of the United States, Donald Trump whose admirers and critics alike, comment on the posts uploaded, giving details on what he might have said or behaved. This means that anything the president states might be taken out of context and interpreted in different ways as long as they appeal to the audiences. The President is known to upload on his official Twitter account his views on different subjects taking place in the country. some of his comments are positive while others are negative, meaning that depending on the context and subject of interest, the TMZ authors will interpret the text to fit the desires of the audience. For instance, TMZ has notified its readers on the possibility of Stormy Daniels, a celebrity, to sue the President for his remarks on his Twitter handle, when he questioned the reliability and honesty of her claims that she had been sexually molested by a strange man in Las Vegas. Critics may argue that Donald Trump has no right to dismiss Daniels, just because she is a woman and deserves respect while his supporters may argue that as long as the claim has no evidence presented, then it might be baseless for Stormy to engage the President in such threats.

Conclusion

The stories are of interest to readers since they are aware of the activities taking place in the lives of the person of interest. It also means that they are informed of the changes taking place in the external environment, even though the gossip may not benefit them. Gossiping helps settle the internal desire to know and keep oneself updated with the life of the president. The stories serve a social propose function of enabling people to engage each other in conversation. For instance, in the comments section, people have discussed the implications of the President's remarks, as well as the validity of Daniels actions against him in a court of law. Of importance to note is that the stories are a form of entertainment and may not mean something serious than they are at face value.

Works Cited

Dunbar, Robin. How many friends does one person need?: Dunbar's number and other evolutionary quirks. Faber & Faber, 2010.

Levin, Jack, and Arnold Arluke. Gossip: The inside scoop. Springer, 2013.

Michelson, Grant, Ad Van Iterson, and Kathryn Waddington. "Gossip in organizations: Contexts, consequences, and controversies." Group & Organization Management 35.4 (2010): 371-390.

http://www.tmz.com/