Gossip, Virality & Power | Episode 3: Gossip in History

Hosted by Meddhya Singh, this episode challenges the idea that gossip is merely trivial, malicious, or unserious. In a 21st-century world shaped by social media, virality, and constant public scrutiny, gossip has become something far more powerful.Rather than treating gossip as a moral failure, the discussion examines it as a social force. Through a debate, our guests take opposing positions on whether gossip functions as a tool for accountability and collective awareness, or whether it undermines truth, privacy, and justice. Drawing from political life, pop culture, digital media, and everyday social dynamics, they explore how rumours and informal narratives increasingly shape reputations, public opinion, and even national events.This episode doesn’t ask whether gossip is “good” or “bad.” Instead, it asks why, despite institutions, algorithms, and an abundance of information, gossip refuses to disappear, and what that persistence reveals about power, credibility, and how we decide whom to believe.