Gossiping accounts for 65 percent of people’s main form of communication, according to pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Experts classify gossiping at its most extreme as bullying or, less severely, as inciting the spread of rumors, according to parents.com. School communities, such as Sacred Heart Greenwich, aim to mitigate negative gossip and create a positive academic environment. However, gossiping can also promote positive behavior and can serve as a tool to strengthen human relationships, according to stanforddaily.com. As a result, it is essential to acknowledge the bilateral nature of gossiping and how it can help to both uplift and suppress the mental state of high school students. Indeed, school communities should teach students how to differentiate between productive and harmful gossip.
Gossiping occurs for many reasons, including to create friendships, condemn immoral behavior, establish identity, and entertain, according to lindastate.com. However, none of these reasons justify negative gossiping. Therefore, it is necessary to educate society about the consequences of harmful gossiping. Miss Karen Panarella, Assistant Head of Upper School Student Life, works to maintain a positive social atmosphere in the Upper School. She discussed the importance of self-awareness when gossiping.
“We must pause and make sure that whatever we are talking about is appropriate to express with the people around us,” Miss Panarella said. “It takes a little bit of self-reflection, which is hard. Have I seen it before in the building? Sure, I think we do a better job than most schools. Have I ever witnessed it? Yes, and in the moment I will stop the student and say, ‘hey, what are we talking about, and should we be talking about this if the person is not present?’ And remind ourselves of those questions when we speak.”
Social media is both a byproduct and creator of gossiping. In fact, regular anxiety caused by gossiping can lead to increased smartphone usage and smartphone addiction, according to pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Online forms of communication such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and X are increasingly popular. These platforms support negative gossiping, resulting in cyberbullying. In person, people can gossip negatively and may not have repercussions, but online, everyone has a digital footprint, according to unicef.org. Therefore, it is crucial to educate young adults about the repercussions of gossiping.
With a large social media presence, celebrities like Ms. Kim Kardashian further incentivize teenagers to gossip. The Kardashians, a reality TV show, creates negative and positive gossip circulating around Ms. Kardashian, which society perceives as positive because it demonstrates the importance of the person involved, according to womenshealthmag.com. However, the lack of awareness around the negative effects of gossiping causes some to associate all gossip with a certain level of status.
Television series such as Bridgerton and Gossip Girl motivates teenagers to spread rumors because of the projection of gossiping as a part of the lifestyle of the wealthy. Gossip Girl‘s characters’ lives revolve around an online blogging website called Gossip Girl. This reinforces the normality of gossiping and leads to a generally more positive and romanticized perception of it. Bridgerton and Gossip Girl shows that gossiping contributes to better social unity, which differs from the general negative perception of gossip, according to harpersbazaar.com. Gossiping does hold a positive reputation in terms of solidifying friendships, but romanticizing gossip is wrong, as it can also negatively impact the mental health of teenagers.
The measures presently used to diminish the presence of negative gossiping are not working. Therefore, other measures must be taken to educate the students about gossiping. While gossiping can be positive in forming relationships, it remains crucial that schools bring awareness to students of its potential harm.
Featured Image by Miranda Zapata-Mardini ’27
