A random post on social media once pulled me in like a headline too good to scroll past. It declared that “gossip dies when it hits a wise person’s ears” and went on to claim that “rumors are started by haters, carried by fools, and believed by idiots.” Predictably, it had amassed waves of likes, comments, and approving emojis—likely fueled by growing frustration over fake news, misinformation, and scandalous headlines that sneak their way even into the most respectable institutions.
But I paused. Something didn’t sit right.
While the quote clearly aimed to promote restraint, dignity, and maturity in the face of hearsay, I couldn’t bring myself to agree with it entirely. I commented under the post, almost instinctively: “Without gossip or rumors, there would be no facts. Even many scientific breakthroughs began with nothing more than speculation and intuition.” That idea, I believed, deserved space too.
In trying to defend the post, the original poster responded: “It’s just saying people shouldn’t spread dangerous, toxic rumors.” Fair enough. But I noticed how the words dangerous and toxic weren’t part of the original quote—they were his own insertions, possibly a stretch of interpretation meant to frame the message more gently. I didn’t challenge the sentiment, but I found it necessary to push the conversation further: “If we ignore random rumors, say, about bandits occupying a highway, wouldn’t we be doing so at our own peril?”
I went on. “Rumors can sometimes serve as alerts, hypotheses, or signals that prompt investigation. In fact, public perception and public opinion are legitimate components of research methodology. Not every so-called wise person ignores rumors—some interrogate them, analyze them, even fear them. There’s a reason people say there’s often a grain of truth in every rumor.”
I was reminded of a recent rumor at the University of Jos. Word spread that bandits were planning an attack, and the university authorities didn’t dismiss it as mere noise. They acted, and rightly so. Sometimes what sounds like panic is just preventive wisdom. Of course, not all rumors deserve amplification—some are petty, unfounded, or just ridiculous. But dismissing them all wholesale is dangerous in itself.
Let’s be honest—rumors and gossip are as old as humanity. They’re embedded in our daily interactions, our curiosity, our social instincts. They’re part of how we make sense of the world, especially when there’s little or no official information to cling to. The challenge isn’t to eliminate them, but to recognize their dual nature. They can build or destroy, protect or mislead, create awareness or stir chaos.
Our obsession with silencing gossip sometimes overlooks its role in holding power accountable, building community, and shaping social behavior. Informal chatter isn’t just filler between serious conversations; it’s often the raw material for democracy, reform, and even policy. When people whisper about corruption, inequality, or strange disappearances, they’re often sounding an alarm long before formal mechanisms take notice.
Of course, gossip and rumor have their flaws. They’re quick to assume, slow to verify, and often tangled in emotion or personal bias. They emerge from signs, hunches, suspicions—from seeing a man with a woman and assuming an affair, or from observing military inaction and suspecting incompetence. A harmless interpretation of a real moment can spiral into misinformation when passed along without context or clarity. Yet, that very suspicion can also drive societies to question, to probe, to demand answers.
Let’s not forget, even verified news can become misinformation when stripped of time and context. A warning about an armed gang on a highway may be valid one day, but if shared endlessly without a date, it morphs into a persistent source of panic. A small detail—like a timestamp—can be the difference between life-saving information and a false alarm. That’s why those who sound the alarm must do so responsibly. What’s worth sharing is worth sharing well.
So whether it’s whispered in the market square, the staff lounge, or over drinks at a bar, gossip has its place. Informal communication can actually reinforce formal systems—it keeps leaders on their toes, exposes what official reports may hide, and even contributes to the health of democracy by encouraging transparency and civic vigilance. When people are aware that they’re being talked about, they tend to think twice about their actions.
Informal communication—what some call “grapevine communication”—thrives precisely because of its freedom. It flows where formal memos can’t. It surfaces feelings, frustrations, fears, and unspoken truths. It builds camaraderie in the workplace, strengthens social bonds, and gives voice to those who might otherwise remain silent. Yes, it can go off course. But to suppress it entirely would be to silence a vital organ of any healthy, functioning society.
Ultimately, gossip and rumors are not enemies of truth—they are its messengers, sometimes flawed, sometimes premature, but necessary. The key is not to shut them down, but to subject them to scrutiny, to cross-examination, to dialogue. That’s where growth lies. That’s where truth emerges. And perhaps, if we learn to handle them wisely, that’s where our shared humanity can shine through most.
Mohammed can be reached at bagudumohammed15197@gmail.com and 07034943575
