Gossip sites turn game of 'Telephone' into high-speed stereotyping
by Kristy Tiesing, posted March 19, 2009
Telephone is a child’s first introduction to the practice of gossip. One person begins by whispering a secret to the person next to them and that person then passes the secret along. This sequence repeats through however many people wish to play. Finally the game is ended when the last participant announces the secret. The catch is that by the last person, the secret has been mangled into something different from the original.
Gossip traveling at this rate takes quite a bit of time to reach a broad network. Imagine how many people it could reach if broadcast over high-speed Internet.
Web sites like MyGreekGossip.com have accomplished the feat of globally broadcasting college campus gossip. When logging on to MyGreekGossip.com, a list is presented for the user to pick different colleges and universities. Then topics such as, “Guys I want to get with” or “Gays in frats,” are presented for the user to comment on anonymously, no names are posted. The rule set by the site administrator is that no names should be listed in a post either, which goes unenforced.
“A lot of the stuff posted deals with promiscuity and a stereotype of partiers and whenever things are repeated over and over again it tends to be believed,” said Sara Spiess MU sophomore.
The idea that the MU Greek community is sexually involved, alcoholic partiers is a recurring theme throughout the site. Although, as seen in a game of Telephone, the more the message is exchanged the more it is mangled.
How is this image of promiscuity discussed so nonchalantly? When did private matters and sexual discussions work their way into daily conversations? Our culture and media are filled with sexually explicit messages aimed at younger audiences. Popular media outlets are influencing our perception of what is acceptable.
“It’s no longer just scripted media, (sexual references) are found in reality shows such as The Hills and Gossip Girl,” said Jennifer Aubrey, MU assistant professor of communications. “Look at how often scripts are based around sexuality and hooking up.”
According to the MU Department of Communication Web site, Aubrey’s research focuses on the media’s effects on emotional, mental, and physical health in young people. Her current research examines the effects of the media on emerging adults’ self-consciousness about their bodies.
“There is a box around what is acceptable,” Aubrey said. “How people learn to be sexy but not sexual, interested but not a nympho.” This box begins to expand with this generation’s more open-minded sexuality.
“Micro-blogging, social networks, and gossip sites reinforce real people engaging in these acts. This reinforces that box, but causes it to reconstruct,” Aubrey said. The size of this box is growing as basic sexual encounters are evolving into a product of the media this generation is exposed to. Gossip does more then hurt a reputation or cause social structures to change, it can also alter people’s perceptions.
“I think it could affect incoming freshmen’s decision to rush,” said Nikki Hollander MU freshman. “I know I would have thought about joining a sorority differently and wouldn’t have been open-minded. I wouldn’t have given each sorority a chance.”
Readers of MyGreekGossip.com are exposed to the raw stereotypes of each house. On MyGreekGossip.com posts such as this can be found under the thread “frat stereotypes”:
RE: frat stereotypes
- Sig Ep- Sig Everyone
- SAE- Sleep And Eat
- Beta- Trust fund babies
- Phi Kap- Huge Gays
- AKL- Tools
- DTD- Dudes touchin Dudes
- Pike- Roofies
- Phi Psi- Computer Nerds
“A lot of the time people just pretend to be from your house and give you a bad name,” said Mark Hughes MU sophomore. “I don’t think GreekGossip ever really affects people in a good way since it’s all gossip.”
“People should be able to build their own opinions based on who they meet and have it be unbiased, not based on something they have read,” Spiess said.
The freedom of anonymity gives users a chance to be whomever they want and say whatever they please.
“I try not to let it get to me. I realize each sorority is not for everyone and all that matters is that I love my sorority and I have fun with them,” Hollander said. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”
JuicyCampus.com is another gossip Web site. Recently this site was shut down due to economic issues. The Web site’s founder and Chief Executive Matt Ivester explained the situation in a Los Angeles Times article posted on Feb. 4, 2009: “Unfortunately, even with great traffic and strong user loyalty, a business can’t survive and grow without a steady stream of revenue to support it. In these historically difficult economic times, online ad revenue has plummeted and venture capital funding has dissolved.”
JuicyCampus.com was different from MyGreekGossip.com in that it affected the campus as a whole, not just a specific community such as Greeks. The rules set by the site administrator were also different. The site was still anonymous but posting names was allowed. When searching for JuicyCampus.com you are now redirected to CollegeACB.com, a new college gossip Web site.
