The question is “Why do we gossip?” Understanding “why” is key to dealing with it effectively. At times, gossip could be regarded as some sort of DRAMA which happens so frequently during our teenage years, that some people have come to accept it as a normal part/way of life. But when that drama involves toxic friendships, and spreading rumors, that is anything but normal. In fact, for those who are impacted, gossip can be downright painful and almost impossible to ignore – especially if social media is being used to spread it.
Consequently, pundits who are being gossiped about are negatively impacted. For instance, gossip and rumors can destroy a person’s self-confidence and affect their self-esteem. It also can lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, anxiety and a host of other issues.Moreover gossip and rumors can alienate friends, ruin reputations and even lead to ostracizing behavior and other forms of related aggression. If you’re someone struggling to help yourself deal effectively with gossip and rumors, it’s important to understand the difference between the two as it’ll help you understand why people might engage in gossiping and rumor spreading rumors about you.
What is a rumor?
Rumors are pieces of information or a story that has not been verified. What this means, is that the person telling the story does not know for certain if it is true or not. Most of the time, people who spread rumors do not bother to determine if there is any truth to what they are saying.
Typically, rumors are spread from person to person and can change slightly each time they are told. As a result, they can become exaggerated and altered over time.
Rumors can involve just about any topic For instance, in the Cameroon Music/Showbiz industry; there could be rumors about say the nominees of a certain Music Awards, rumors about how the final will be handled in the Final round or rumors that a Blogger is secretly dating an artist under a certain Record label.
What is Gossip?
Gossip is slightly different from a rumor. Usually, gossip involves a juicy detail of some sort, which means the information is shocking or personal. Gossip is also usually spread behind a person’s back and can be very hurtful.
Gossip usually involves love, relationships, sex and other issues that people usually do not talk about publicly and it almost always causes pain and humiliation for the person it is about. People share gossip without any thought of how it might impact the person it is about.
Why do people spread rumors or gossip?
There are a variety of reasons why people will spread rumors or engage in gossip. Most often, some will gossip or spread rumors to fit in with their friends as a way to feel special or to impress others. Let’s look closely at some of these reasons;
TO FEEL BETTER:
When people feel bad about themselves, they sometimes will target other people to try to make themselves feel better. As a result, they talk about others as a way to deflect attention from themselves.
TO FEEL ACCEPTED:
If everyone else in their circle of friends is gossiping or spreading rumors, kids feel like they have to do the same thing in order to be accepted. Many times peer pressure will play a factor in spreading rumors or gossiping.
TO GET ATTENTION:
When some people know a secret that nobody else knows, or are the first people in the group to hear a rumor, it makes them the center of attention. As a result, those who are trying to fit in or climb the social ladder might use gossip and rumors as a tool to gain popularity.
TO GAIN POWER:
When people want to be in control and at the top of the social ladder and once there get determined to climb higher, they sometimes accomplish that by diminishing the status of another person. Spreading rumors or gossiping is one of the primary ways people, especially mean ones lobby for social status.
TO GET REVENGE:
When one is envious of another person’s looks, popularity or money, they might use gossip and rumors to hurt that person. They also tend to use gossip and rumors to get back at someone who they feel deserves to be hurt. Making up a rumor or spreading gossip sometimes satisfies their need for revenge.
TO RELIEVE BOREDOM:
Research indicates that boredom is often the number one reason why people might spread rumors. Some people when bored with their lives because there is no drama, resort to rumors and gossip to spice things up and make life more exciting.
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To fellow bloggers, GOSSIP is a double-edged sword, so we should all be careful about what we do with the ‘talk’ that comes our way especially when we hit our keyboards and flick our fingers through our phone’s to send out “gist” to our ever large and attentive audience.
In effect, there are a number of things that you can do to cope with being a victim of rumors or gossips when you find yourself in such a situation. For instance, you could stop dwelling on what other people are saying or go directly to the source and confront the issue.
The key is to find a way to address the gossiping and rumor spreading that is comfortable for you, albeit. Fighting gossip often serves to fan the flames so it is often a better strategy to ignore it.
