by Rob Purifoy

Created on: November 24, 2009   Last Updated: November 25, 2009

It's 18,000 BC and the cavemen are trying to get information and direction from others about where the Mammoth herds are, meanwhile, the women are talking with the other woman about where the nearest berry grove is. While out on the hunt a caveman spears a Mammoth, but the bigger stronger caveman steals his catch and beats up the proper owner of the future family feast. When the bullied caveman returns home, he may tell his mate, friends and family of the mean thief that stole his meal. Eventually the story gets around, and maybe gets embellished along the way, it then becomes gossip among the nearby caves, and then becomes legend among outlying caves.

Because we have always had need for information, we instinctively have a "want to know" tendency. Because we are now in the modern age of information we can find out anything we want or need to know, however, abundant crucial information may have lead to want for casual insight into society and it's members. While we have the urge to know about people and their activities, like watching a train wreck that you can't take your eyes from, gossip serves a few purposes. Iit can be a psychological way of building up ones self while breaking down another, or it could be just hearsay or simple light conversation. Gossip is the precursor to the ever popular reality shows on TV as well as magazines and tabloids and a large percentage of society eats it like candy.

The phenomenon also begs the deeper question of why women seem to be more interested in gossip, and practice it, more than men. It is possible that the example of gossip above pertaining to building oneself up while breaking down another may be connected to the self-esteem level of the gossiper. In general, most men are not in competition with their friends, neighbors or coworkers but rather see themselves as equals among friends. Women may perpetuate gossip for many reasons but it seems that in society, females seem to get more enjoyment from it and it has become a pastime in some respects.

Gossip is also a product of media and a crowded society with all of us in much closer proximity than a sporadic cave or two thousands of years ago. It is possible that gossip is just a natural progression of a society that interacts and reacts as we go through our lives. The word itself some would define as devious conversation but it's not always depending on the reason it's used. A person could go into the office and discuss what happened during a weekend football game and tell a friend what they heard about a player. This also could be defined as gossip, even thought it's innocent, light conversation. While gossiping is a way to attain information about something you were otherwise unaware, it is becoming a slang term to describe devious conversation.

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