The Power of Gossip

In Chapter 2 of his book Convergence Culture, Henry Jenkins tackles both the historical and more recent role of gossip in society.

He writes:

The specific content of gossip is often less important than the social ties
created through the exchange of secrets between participants -- and for that
reason, the social functions of gossip hold when dealing with television
content. It isn't who you are about but who you are talking with that matters.
Gossip builds common ground between participants, as those who exchange
information assure one another of what they share. Gossip is finally a way of
talking about yourself through critiquing the actions and values of others.

It is especially interesting to me that Jenkins focuses on American Idol in this chapter of this book. This season marks my first year as a viewer of that wildly popular show. And what blows me away about the whole phenomenon is the life the show takes on after everyone has left their TV screens. There is water cooler chat, but beyond that it dominates media coverage and the conversations on the Internet are endless.

Take the latest controversy -- or gossip: the steamy photos of contestant Antonella Barba that have been flying around the Internet. As a result, Barba (and American Idol) has been one of th biggest news stories of the day today. Web sites from major news outlets are all over the story. Watch what TV news does with it tonight and newspapers tomorrow. And bloggers are all over it is well.

Check out this post at NJ.com of this one from PhillyBurbs.com. And just dive into those comments at both places. Wow. Yes, Henry Jenkins is right on the mark.