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Irrelevant, possibly made-up gossip from strangers is my favorite entertainment.
In the two days after I discovered “normal gossip” podcast, I listened to 18 episodes (all available at the time). I listen while driving. I downloaded episodes to listen to at work. It even replaced my running music. It’s still the only podcast I have a paid subscription to. I need bonus episodes that subscribers (called “friends” or “friends of friends”) can access.
In each episode of “Ordinary Gossip,” host Kelsey McKinney tells a true gossip story, sent by listeners to guests they’ve never heard of. McKinney eschews dark, humorous gossip in favor of lighthearted stories: knitting group gossip, kindergarten football parent gossip, coffee shop coworker gossip. McKinney’s talent for gossip storytelling dispels the mundane, coherent twists and resentments of the subject, often trivial but easily recognizable — if you find the rich snob in your knitting group for selling “male tears” And the coasters that go viral on Instagram are secretly made from acrylic yarn that she despises you, and you’ll start plotting revenge. Through this podcast, listeners can experience these moments with the protagonists of the story.
While waiting for new episodes to release, I do wonder what makes this podcast different from fiction podcasts. Narrative podcasts arguably have better stories. “Normal gossip” has elements of “this really happened”, but the stories are highly anonymized to avoid legal problems.While McKinney claims to have the ability to tell a story is fake, she admits Instagram Even if they do end up with fake gossip, stories are stories.
What makes gossip so compelling? This is something many of us are taught to despise and avoid. It’s also undeniably enjoyable. It’s exciting to know things about people and gain trust with information. In many cases, knowing the gossip is a sign of integration into the team. It creates a connection between the teller and the recipient. Even if the connection is impersonal, they share confidential knowledge. They have secrets that no one else has. The sense of community doesn’t just come from gossip — it’s part of what makes it valuable in the first place.
Just as stories in “normal gossip” are as untraceable and irrelevant to the average listener, listening invites them to join a group. These stories come from other listeners – other members of the community. Listeners who subscribe can see the podcast’s “Close Friend” stories on Instagram, and they can send mini-gossip stories in a weekly “Question Box” game and guess what the next episode of gossip will involve. The stories McKinney and her team choose to tell on the podcast often take place in a niche community. The feeling of secrecy increased. This is something that narrative podcasts cannot easily achieve.
Around the time I became a “regular gossip” listener, I stopped watching drama videos on YouTube.I used to enjoy half an hour to an hour explaining and ranting about what other content creators and celebrities were doing Incorrect. Channels I frequent like smoky light. Other times I click on long videos about people I don’t know or care about, guided by the title about people break the law, kill their pets and exploit their children. These videos will be used as podcasts or background noise while I clean my room or fold laundry.
If the creator of the video is a good storyteller, I like to listen to it for a while, at least long enough not to click on anything else. However, listening to several of these videos in a row makes me feel weird. The stories themselves have little emotional impact. I have no connection with them, they have become commonplace. Also, as bad as anything I hear, I’m listening under the guise of entertainment. These types of stories are no longer shocking, the reason I clicked in the first place was for entertainment.
I worry that I’ve become insensitive to the horrific stories of celebrity abuse and exploitation I’ve heard on YouTube. I don’t watch these videos anymore, not for my mental health concerns, but more because I don’t like them anymore. Compared to the “normal gossip” episodes, these videos make me feel alienated from the YouTube community. Hearing the incredible things some people have done shatters any sense of community. Nothing fun. It’s not about gossip anymore, I think it’s about connection and protection, if not for entertainment. None of these exist in these videos.
Not that I think these videos shouldn’t be made.these stories should We were told that these people were exposed and we expressed our outrage at them. But I rarely get angry when I watch it. I don’t feel anything because these stories are being told in contexts that don’t belong to them.
Gossip doesn’t have to be purely entertainment. As discussed by various “ordinary gossip” guests, intra-group gossip can be used as a means of protection. Among women in the same industry, gossip can take the form of a warning to sexist male colleagues. But in this case, it’s still part of the community. People who share it still form connections.
The events of the “Normal Gossip” episodes are objectively lower risk than anything I’ve seen in YouTube drama videos, but I’m more invested in them than video rants.Can’t care about the star’s behavior, I found that I were able Concerned about what a couple hears from the extremely thin walls of their new apartment and whether local runners are faking her marathon Get ready on Strava. If we want to entertain gossip, it should be that. Not only because the alternative is hardly gossip or entertainment, but also because it is deceptive mundane gossip that can be identified and engaged.
If I treat them as a constant stream of entertainment and gossip, I can’t care about important, devastating events and people’s behavior. I’m going to be exhausted and tired of people screwing up and don’t want to hear about it. I read these stories when I’m in the headspace of wanting to learn and care. When I want to be entertained and engage in some fun gossip, I put on my earbuds and listen to my podcasts. Maybe I’ll re-listen to the episode about knitting. This is one of my favorites. The discovery of acrylic yarn never goes out of style.
Senior Art Editor Erin Evans can be contacted at: erinev@umich.edu.
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