His view doesn't stand alone, as senior Brittny Zobrist adds. The most popular are the people that know the most about others. With the desire to be a significant influence on campus, many students say they resort to gossip not to be mean, but to appear sociable in front of their peers. Because you don't have to know someone personally to talk about them. They don't do it as loud as girls may, but it's definitely there.
Some adults attribute the high school gossip scene to teen-agers' lack of communication skills.
It's easier to communicate when you're adults because you can expand into topics that affect the world. In high school there is a lack of knowledge and some may gossip for lack of anything better to talk about. The communication skills that grow with experience may deter high school teens from using their conversations to benefit their minds, yet resorting to gossip puts a strain on relationships with peers, Reitz says. It all starts with judgments about others. Forming an opinion based on hearsay isn't the only downfall to the rapid spread of rumors.