Mediatized gossip: From printed pamphlets to the electronic present

DOI: 10.5176/2301-3710_JMComm13.08a

Authors: Kingsley Bolton

Abstract:
This paper traces the history of gossip in the media from the late seventeenth century to the present, which in its first stages found expression early forms of print journalism. The impetus for a wider readership in for newspapers came from US journalism in the mid to late 19th century. Towards the end of that century, William Randolph Hearst acquired the New York Journal (1895) and began to promote sensational journalism aimed at the widest possible audience. By this time, trends in American journalism were also being felt in the British press, most noticeably with the publication of such Sunday newspapers as The News of the World, which was first published in 1843, and such weeklies as George Newnes’ Titbits, from 1881. Throughout the twentieth century gossip was increasingly purveyed through such other media as radio and television, while today various forms of gossip are used with powerful effect and diverse purposes through the Internet, smartphones, social media and a range of digital platforms.

Keywords: gossip, media, mediatization