The Anonymous Note: Robert Pattinson & the Rumor Mill
From time to time, we will be taking a moment to write some commentary on Rob, the fandom and other things that we deal with on this site in our column, The Anonymous Note. For our first outing, we’re taking a look at the world of rumor and gossip.
Our readers want to know: Why is Robert Pattinson such a target for the often vicious gossip and rumor sites?
Oh, we’re all tempted aren’t we? Standing at the grocery store checkout line and suddenly we’re glancing through magazines as we’re intrigued at the newest gossip headlines. We dig through a website and we see a headline that we just can’t resist clicking, just to find out what it says.
It is not uncommon in the information age we live that gossip and rumor sites are becoming the most popular destinations of many online surfers. It seems that no one is off limits or immune to these stories. Many celebrities address these rumors via official websites or press releases. Even the world of politics is not immune, even Barack Obama decided to launch his Fight the Smears website in an effort to address the rumors swirling during his campaign. So why do we read gossip and more importantly…why Rob? A little lesson about human nature may help to understand these phenomena.
So why do people read gossip?
Psychologists and sociologists who research gossip, and surprisingly there are many who study this topic, agree that there are a few things about human nature that make gossip attractive and even intriguing to us. Synthesizing the research, the following points continually surface.
- Rumors and gossip make us feel connected to others.
- Rumors and gossip bond a group of people together.
- Anyone we see that often and know that well becomes socially important to us and therefore makes us feel more socially important, too.
Teenagers, in particular, seem to be prone to learning how to dress, how to manage relationships, and how to be socially successful in general by turning to popular culture.
Why do gossip sites spread rumors?
So we know we’re naturally drawn to gossip, but why do the various gossip websites report them? It’s actually pretty simple.
First and foremost to make money, especially from the advertisers who solicit on their sites. Most of these sites get paid based on the number of visitors or “hits” theirs sites receive. The more hits they garner, the more money they can earn from their advertisers.
Secondly, because they can! Rumor-mongering draws hits, and it is difficult for a celebrity to prove libel, especially in the United States. Although some celebrities have sued tabloids and won, most do not dignify the rumors with any type of response.
And lastly, because people will read it. As noted, people are attracted to gossip and rumors, as well as to celebrities. This offers a guaranteed audience. As the Chicago Tribune noted when speaking to TMZ:
But ask him why TMZ, which stands for the “Thirty-Mile Zone” around Hollywood, is important or necessary, and you get something close to a Miss Teen South Carolina stammer, to reference another recent Internet gossip victim. “It is interesting, and I think kind of important for people to talk about,” he says. “People are interested in celebrities who are interesting.”
Why is Rob a target?
Well, considering Rob is often the most-searched celebrity on the Internet on any given day and consistently ranked number one on IMDb, he is a prime draw of gossip bloggers and sites. The fact that Rob’s fans have taken to the Internet in great numbers means there is an enormous built-in audience when it comes to Rob news.
Rob, by his own personality and nature, is very self-deprecating so he is an easy target. In fact many times, he fuels the gossip sites rumors with his English wit and charm. A most recent example are the now-famous stinky story, which were the result of months of Rob being candid in interviews and admitting that he does not often wash his hair, including some wildly-obvious exaggerations on the topic.
Often bad news is more interesting than good news, and unfortunately bad news is what sells in Hollywood. Case in point: have you ever seen a good picture taken by the paparazzi in a tabloid? Not often. Tabloids enjoy printing the less-than-flattering shots, since bad pictures of celebrities sell…and sell well.
The Final Note
The unfortunate truth is that the gossip about Rob will continue to swirl. It is egged on by paparazzi photos, gossip columns, and whisperings from the fans itself.
The important thing is to take gossip for what it is: gossip. It is not truth. View the headlines with a suspicious eye. And then do something useful with the rags. We hear tabloid print makes a wonderful lining for birdcages…
Tags: gossip
Ah, time for yet another movie. Rob is spending his early summer in and around the Los Angeles area shooting his next film, Water for Elephants. We can't wait for that one. And Eclipse promotion is calling his name as well. Happy June!As always...
BRAVO!!!! Good point!!
That is a very good outing ^^
I always considered why do fans read gossips… and worst, why do they believe in such things. Even if we don’t know the best someone, we can realize that stuff is a lie… or at least, it’s twisted from the truth.
I like this website so much because of it. Dispelling these kind of lies and clearing back Rob image is something we all should compromise with. IF we neve read or believed those junks, he would not be a target anymore
This has to be one of the most interesting and well-written websites. I’ve never seen one like it and it is excellent for reading about the “real” celebrity. I read ONLY People magazine because they report the truth. I understood awhile ago that most magazines and websites out there exaggerate or out and out lie. Why do I read these websites and enjoy reading about interesting celebrities? I love movies and while going through nursing school and working full-time a very busy job, this has been my outlet for stress. Music and reading good literature (as well as lots of nursing and medical books!) and of course, movies! I also really enjoy hearing about talented new musicians and actors. They aspired in the first place to reach their goals and they made it happen. I find that very inspiring. They may make a few mistakes along the way but they are human just like the rest of us. I think we enjoy the actors the most who arise from humble backgrounds to become worldwide, famous celebrities. And, it all started with a dream, a goal.
Hmm, everything you wrote I allready knew. But still I do read gossip sometimes (try to not read it but sometimes I’m just so bored :D). I do remember the whole thing about, hey, if I know something about that person it makes me feel important. That’s what I thought when I was younger (I’m not a teenager anymore). Whenever I need to search something on the internet I need to dig through the whole gossip crap. It’s sad in a way, but normal in the other way.
This site is a very good option for fans who really don’t know wether something is true or not. I know 99% of the gossip is false :p.
ps: horses are much more interesting than reading gossip :p (sorry for that, I am totally into horses )
If I actually buy magazines like that, which I don’t do very often, it’s just because of nice posters of him being included or because I need a good laugh as I know the rumors are not true in any way. Oh by the way: They are not just good for bird cages but for cat’s toilets as well.
Good article anyway. I can just agree to that.
It is a sad reality in our society that we like to build people up and then tear them down….at least the press does and many pay the cover purchase price to watch. I honestly don’t understand why anyone would willingly become the target of such maliciousness. It is like the pendulum on the clock….it swings one way and then the other. Very few escape it. I pray that Rob does.
That is why I love this website!
I am so sick of the Robert bashing!
Thanks!
i don’t get why people subscribe to gossip columns and columnists - and by subscribe i mean read, talk about, post about, etc. they don’t know anything. if they did, they’d be working for legit media sources, not eonline or lifeandstyle, etc.
listen to benjamin franklin: “believe half of what you see, and non of what you hear.”
words to live by, yo.
Gossip is a universal malady, if you have lived in a small country town or a large family you realise that unless you do something odd or weird every now & again for people to talk about, well then they just make up stuff about you to talk about.
RP has been brilliant at feeding gossips with ridiculous tid bits to distract them, like the hair stuff. He’s proabably laughing his arse off at the smelly gossip, and meanwhile slinking about on his own whilst nobody really knows what he’s up to.
Bet Michael Gambon taught him some tricks on harry potter (he’s notorious for making up faerie stories in interviews).
HI!…well obviously us you guys i´m a huge huge fan of rob…well that thing about robert personality bother me a little bit..he´s no´t the kinda shy-dpresive guy…he is just reserved…and thats special in him!!!!because he don´t want to catch attention with that kind os stuffs i think…I want to tell this to all of people who read and write gossip around the world …about good persons like robert…we (i mean the really fans) NEVER …I MEAN NEVER!..prefer to hear bad things or news about our idols!!….
so keep seeking the truth!
…
ps: take a look of my web and coment!
gotta love the Where’s Waldo/Robert sidebar! “Stalk Not the Pattinson”? Genius! Love this web site!