You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism and gender discrimination.

Chapter 6 covers a unique aspect of Internet gossip: the existence of the Internet’s Main Characters. A random post might gain a widespread reaction—either positive or negative—and go viral, after which the random person becomes an obsession for hundreds or even thousands of people. People might tweet a bad or offensive joke, wear a questionable Halloween costume, attend a political town hall in an unusual sweater, or make a claim about a pop star that fans do not like. As a result, this person gets bombarded by scrutiny that can be quite punitive in nature. People, including the author, indulge their love for snooping into other people’s lives by researching these Main Characters and seeing if they deserve the love or hate they are receiving. McKinney points out that curiosity is one of the defining features of humanity. Compared to other primates, she contends that humans have a notably juvenile appearance, and like juvenile primates, people are also curious and adaptable. Although other primates are much stronger and more agile, humans dominate because of their intellectual capacity. Part of that capacity, though, involves ravenous curiosity.