The Gossip Economy: Riding on Social Media Illiteracy

I stumbled on one of those random gossip pages on Facebook earlier today. The page posted the screenshot of a tweet by the Billionaire Femi Otedola's daughter, DJ Cuppy. In the tweet, she mentioned how going back to school to get her third academic degree has affected her music career. I decided to check the post's comment section, and Oh my, it was a full range of negativity. Many comments cancelled her from starting a music career in the first place. Many wrote that she should never come back to music because she sings nonsense. Many asked her to go and marry. Many asked what she is still doing in school since her father is already wealthy.Do you know what the beauty of this is? She will probably not see those comments because it was a gossip page, and only her tweet was copied and posted without her in the tag. Before I decided to write this article, I had seen three other pages that posted the same screenshot, and people were there writing with extreme cancellation why she must not come back to music. That is how gossip works. The pages will generate many engagements from comments and probably monetize the page for advertising. At the same time, the people they are gossiping about are busy signing new deals and getting better at their craft.I am not sure whether the thousands of social media users typing all kinds of gibberish on a screenshot are aware that the one they are gossiping about and cancelling is not on the page. The gossip economy feeds on the popularity of a person, a brand or a trend to generate followership and engagement from people who know little or nothing about the issue but are willing to talk about everything they see.The gossip economy is blossoming from the success stories and not so good stories of others. Many gossipers don't know that newsmakers will continue to make news while gossipers create money-making opportunities for gossip pages with their thoughtless comments.Oluwaseun David ADEPOJU