The odds that any given student has been the target of school gossip is extremely likely. Teens, especially highschoolers, might gossip as a way to deal with insecurity. And no matter how trivial it may seem, it can have serious, real-life consequences.
Now, before any readers roll their eyes and scroll past this, especially because this issue has been stressed a lot in recent years— this is extremely significant, because it happens in every school nationwide. And the fact is that it really can do a lot of damage.
There are always rumors floating around at any given time. Maybe there is chatter about why a teacher is absent, for example. It doesn’t hurt if people are saying she has the flu, but if they begin to spread the idea that she was fired for misconduct, that can really harm her reputation.
It is in this way that gossip can really ruin someone’s life.
“Gossiping is a horrible thing,” says Rylee Polich, a freshman. “It’s such a toxic culture, really. Everyone wants to know who was seen with who, and who did what, and it’s just really harmful to the people who get caught up in it, but also just the school environment in general.”
Words can easily be stretched, morphed, and spread across a group of eager students. It could be noted that there are always multiple versions of a rumor, since it usually changes as it flows from person to person. So while they can be based in truth, they can also be molded into something completely unrecognizable.
“It can rapidly spread and become twisted which can lead to untrue and hurtful rumors,” says Rylee Polich.
Victims of gossip may face bullying and ostracism from their peers, and may end up with anxiety or depression, or even attempt suicide.
And the rise of social media has done nothing to help the matter. Platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram have made it possible to reach an insanely large number of people within seconds.
In fact, smartphones have become the dominant means of spreading rumors among the student body. Especially Snapchat, where massive groups of students can communicate with the tap of a screen.
“Videos of fights, for example,” says Lauren Saddler, a sophomore. “Within literal minutes of the fight happening, it’s literally all over Snap, and everybody’s watching it. I’ve even heard of gossip about kids from other schools being shared that way.”
In the blink of an eye, a person’s life and reputation can be dragged in the dirt, and for no other reason than insensitive entertainment.
Students should be able to chat about school happenings, but also consider the hurtful effects of taking it too far.
