Is Gossip Your Guilty Pleasure?

“Shhh! Don’t tell.” We all do it. It’s human nature to discuss the latest rumors with your closest friends. Whether it’s young girls whispering on a playground bench or two gray-haired grannies in a coffee shop, everyone enjoys a good gossip session.

You may be shaking your head, but let’s be honest here. You’ve never been so absolutely shocked by an ugly rumor about the cute new guy at school that you had to text your BFF immediately to verify its accuracy? Or perhaps your guilty pleasure is celebrity gossip - is it a good in-depth analysis of Brangelina’s rise and fall that gets your heart rate rising? Whether it’s the girl next door or a faraway movie star, it’s hard not to love juicy gossip and outed secrets.

It may feel like a dirty little secret, but it’s one we all secretly share.

Have you admitted it to yourself yet? Are you recalling a few instances when you may have indulged in some deliciously scandalous gossip with a close friend? Sometimes we need to release our innermost thoughts on the people around us, regardless of whether those thoughts are positive or negative; it’s only human, right?

Potential Backlash

Today’s social climate has transformed gossip into something nefarious, dangerous even. When most conversations are held online in public platforms, nothing is sacred. A casual comment you made on a friend’s outfit can be made to look like an offensive remark in the wrong context. Here’s an example of how a bit of innocent gossip can be blown completely out of proportion:

• You post a gorgeous photo of yourself in your latest purchase - a crop top and high-wasted jeans from Forever 21.
• Your BFF comments: “Girl, that outfit is fire on you, but did you see that Shreya has the exact same one?”
• You: “What?? OMG I just saw it. What’s up with that?”
• BFF: "You wear it way better.”
• BFF’s friend Arjun sees her comment and replies: “No, you look way hotter. Shreya is such a cow. Why’s she wearing a crop top with all those rolls popping out?”

What follows is a rain of comments on Shreya’s appearance from other acquaintances and, of course, she sees and screenshots the conversation before you make the decision to delete the post entirely.

The following day, you find yourself in the principal’s office with BFF and her rude friends, being accused of cyberbullying.

What does this scenario prove? Is a little innocent gossip so wrong? Of course not! The problem occurs when conversations that should be whispered are being shouted over public platforms. The average social platform is agonizingly public, without the merest ‘like’ of a comment going unnoticed by the masses. This environment makes it all too easy for innocent remarks and gossip to become offensive. Everything seems to offend someone, after all.

How to Whisper in a World of Shouting

In a world where everyone seems to be shouting, commenting, arguing, and taking offense to everything, how does one enjoy a quiet online conversation without the entire world putting in their two cents?

On the one hand, there’s always the very necessary face-to-face meet ups with your closest friends, but these encounters are not always possible. Classes, extracurriculars, and weekday curfews keep most teens away from their friends during the week.

On the other hand, there are numerous apps for chatting and live video streaming, but many do not fulfill all of the social needs of a modern teen. Snapchat and Live.ly, for instance, are both great for impromptu messaging and flirting, but neither of these offers the full functionality of a social network.

The older social networks like Facebook and Twitter have become places for our parents to voice their political opinions, and both are entirely too public for comfort.

What we need is an app that cultivates the intimacy of close relationships between friends - a place where we can “whisper” and gossip to our hearts’ content without fear of offending anyone or causing a scene. That’s where LYK comes in.

The Perfect Environment to Bring Close Friends Closer

LYK is a fresh social platform that allows you to keep your private conversations, well… private.  On LYK, your comments and observations will only be public if you want them to be. Any comment or conversation may be limited to a select number of friends to ensure that nothing potentially inflammatory is left out in the open.

Remember the scenario we laid out earlier, involving Shreya and the duplicate outfit fiasco? Here’s how it might go down in LYK:

• You post a gorgeous photo of yourself in your latest purchase - a crop top and high-wasted jeans from Forever 21.
• Your BFF comments on the photo right away, but privately, so that only you and she can see it: “Girl, that outfit is fire on you, but did you see that Shreya has the exact same one?”
• You (also privately): “What?? OMG I just saw it. What’s up with that?”
• BFF: "You wear it way better.”
• You: “I hope so! How does Shreya get away with that crop top? She should be dressing to accentuate her figure, not exposing her flaws!”

In this very similar situation, you could keep your gossip quiet, as it should be, expressing yourself discreetly with your closest friend without risk of offense to anyone else.

Any conversation, comment, event, or post on LYK may be limited to a select number of connections, ensuring the same intimacy in your relationships that you enjoy in person. In an intimate network of close friends and connections, there are more opportunities to cultivate friendships and less opportunities to initiate drama and offensive remarks.

Download LYK and Keep Your Gossip on the DL

It’s safe to admit it. We all enjoy a little gossip, and we all talk behind people’s backs from time to time. It’s OK to have dirty little secrets, and it’s OK to share them with your friends.

If you’re tired of feeling malicious every time you share a bit of gossip with a friend online, there’s a better way. LYK can help you keep your juiciest conversations quiet. Download it today and you’ll remember what it’s like to enjoy your convos at a whisper.