Let's take our minds back a decade to 2010; you've just arrived at your dentists for a check-up and, as always, things are looking a little busy and you may have to wait a little longer than you anticipated. Nowadays, you're likely to use the time to catch up on your socials but let's not forget that, at this moment in time, smartphones were only just beginning to disrupt the market. So what do you do now? Well, what better way to pass the time than to grab something from the little table in the corner - you know, the one that's overflowing with magazines such as Hello and Now? You see, whether you love them or hate them, the gossip magazine was the pinnacle image of the 2000s. In a quick turn of events, however, the sound of crickets can be heard emanating from the very Tesco shelves these magazines were bought from. That leads me to the question, has 2020 finally marked the end of the gossip magazine?
The History of the Gossip Magazine
In the words of the great American scientist Dr. Carl Saga, "You have to know the past to know the present" - and that's exactly how we're going to start tackling today's question.
It shouldn't come as a great surprise that the gossip magazine emerged with the rise of the celebrity and celebrity culture in the early 1900s. The first gossip magazine is widely believed to be Broadway Brevities, launched in 1916 as a monthly gossip source for New York's theatre scene. According to media historian Will Straw, there was an interesting shift in the gossip magazine from the 1910s to the 1930s; gossip magazines began among small spheres of elites who were all acquainted with one another but, bit by bit, the gossip magazine was taken over by those considered 'outsiders' to the scene and became ever more popular with the masses. Much like the gossip magazines of today, there always seemed to be a specific agenda that was pushed and the journalistic style greatly mirrored that of tabloids; in the case of Broadways Brevities in the 30s, there was a great focus on the modern woman and her moral downfall. Unsurprisingly, the popularity of gossip magazines shot up during Hollywood's Golden Age and it was not long after that that we begun to see the famous publications we know of today emerge, such as People. It was undoubtedly in the 90s and early 2000s that gossip magazines hit their peak both in the U.K and America; by way of example, OK! Magazine only sold 165,583 copies between July and December of 2017, compared to the 500,000 and 650,000 copies sold between such periods in 2000 and 2009. In fact, some magazines such as Now have shut their doors for good in recent years.
It shouldn't come as a great surprise that the gossip magazine emerged with the rise of the celebrity and celebrity culture in the early 1900s. The first gossip magazine is widely believed to be Broadway Brevities, launched in 1916 as a monthly gossip source for New York's theatre scene. According to media historian Will Straw, there was an interesting shift in the gossip magazine from the 1910s to the 1930s; gossip magazines began among small spheres of elites who were all acquainted with one another but, bit by bit, the gossip magazine was taken over by those considered 'outsiders' to the scene and became ever more popular with the masses. Much like the gossip magazines of today, there always seemed to be a specific agenda that was pushed and the journalistic style greatly mirrored that of tabloids; in the case of Broadways Brevities in the 30s, there was a great focus on the modern woman and her moral downfall. Unsurprisingly, the popularity of gossip magazines shot up during Hollywood's Golden Age and it was not long after that that we begun to see the famous publications we know of today emerge, such as People. It was undoubtedly in the 90s and early 2000s that gossip magazines hit their peak both in the U.K and America; by way of example, OK! Magazine only sold 165,583 copies between July and December of 2017, compared to the 500,000 and 650,000 copies sold between such periods in 2000 and 2009. In fact, some magazines such as Now have shut their doors for good in recent years.
The Appeal of Gossip Magazines
But what attracted people to gossip magazines in the first place? I hear you ask. To put matters simply, our brains are wired to tune into gossip and to indeed partake in it. The most popular theory on the matter comes from anthropologist Robin Dunbar. His theory stated that gossip served an evolutionary process; as civilizations shifted from hunter-gatherer societies to larger communities, there was a need for a method in which communication could be spread quickly and bad behaviour kept in check. Furthermore, this theory states that gossip allows us to form bonds with others. We also cannot forget a more shallow side to the matter; human beings are often cynical, and reading about somebody else's misfortunes can make us feel better about those we face in our own lives. Gossip magazines are only one way in which this evolutionary need is satisfied.
The Downfall of Gossip Magazines
There are three factors which I personally believe are contributing to the downfall of gossip magazines, and we're going to look at these three factors individually.
THE DEATH OF PRINT MEDIA
There is a stark trend to be seen in regards to the popularity of print media; according to the website Inquire Media, 80% of American adults read at least one newspaper in 1960 compared to less than 10% in 2017. Why has there been such a decline? With people working longer hours than ever before, the term 'convenience' is gaining greater and greater popularity; after all, why do you think that more and more people have been turning to takeaways instead of cooking meals themselves? The same principle applies with gossip magazines; why would you go to the trouble of going to a newsagents to buy one of these magazines when you can find the same information on Twitter in a matter of minutes? What we ought to also take into account is that people are also saving more than ever before, particularly during these uncertain times. As such, it all seems rather fruitless to go out and physically buy a copy of Heat when you can read all about the latest celebrity divorce for free online.
THE DEATH OF THE CELEBRITY
It simply cannot be doubted that celebrity culture as we once knew it is slowly beginning to slip away. What with the rise of social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, people are no longer interested in the figures that seem so distant from us; we'd much rather look at a 20 minute vlog from the average Sally than a 1 hour episode of a reality TV show from those whose level of success we'll likely never reach. It's not only a matter of relatability, though. The matter of the fact is that gossip magazines have not died, they have simply evolved and been pushed aside to better suit the audiences of today. By other media, I'm sure my fellow YouTube watchers will have heard of at least one or two so-called drama channels; the concept is the same, it's the delivery that's different.
INCREASED MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
Let's briefly return to a point I made previously about gossip magazines and tabloids alike pushing a certain agenda to their readership. These gossip magazines and tabloids alike have recently faced great scrutiny for their biased reporting and the way in which they hound celebrities - most of which are women. This was accelerated after the suicide of TV presenter Caroline Flack, who was under fire for an allegation of assault against her boyfriend. Many have begun to open their eyes and finally see the detrimental impact that such reporting - if we can even call it that - can have on a star's mental health and no longer want to partake in the action; so much so that many of those dental practices and hairdressers that we spoke about in the introduction have vowed to get rid of the publications. Needless to say, our new-found openness about mental health has contributed a great deal to this matter too.
A Conclusion
All in all, time will only tell whether it will be 2020 specifically that marks the end of the gossip magazine, but it certainly doesn't have long left - and you know what? Good riddance! As our attention now turns to Twitter threads and YouTube drama channels, it is our responsibility to make sure that these platforms are not as cut-throat and are more productive for everybody involved. I hope you enjoyed this post and as per usual, leave me your thoughts down below.
SOURCES
https://web.archive.org/web/20120121234750/http://www.nerve.com/content/high-school-honeys-and-hot-holes
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/91613/anmcdonn_1.pdf?sequence=1
https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/reach-snaps-up-this-morning-head-of-news-charlotte-seligman-to-edit-ok-magazine/
https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/now-magazine-to-close-14334
https://www.medicaldaily.com/rumor-has-it-science-behind-why-we-love-celebrity-gossip-and-tabloid-magazines-362710#:~:text=For%20some%20people%2C%20learning%20about,juicier%20the%20news%2C%20the%20better.&text=People%20who%20lack%20social%20skills,others%20with%20the%20same%20interests.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ne9ae8/gossip-may-have-played-a-role-in-human-survival
https://www.inquiremedia.co.uk/single-post/2019/02/02/Print-media-is-dying#:~:text=In%201960%2C%2080%20percent%20of,had%20dropped%20to%20below%2010%25.&text=One%20main%20reason%20for%20the,news%20that%20can%20be%20utilised.
https://bigthink.com/big-think-books/vicki-robin-joe-dominguez-your-money-or-your-life
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/04/success/personal-savings-best-options/index.html
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/91613/anmcdonn_1.pdf?sequence=1
https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/reach-snaps-up-this-morning-head-of-news-charlotte-seligman-to-edit-ok-magazine/
https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/now-magazine-to-close-14334
https://www.medicaldaily.com/rumor-has-it-science-behind-why-we-love-celebrity-gossip-and-tabloid-magazines-362710#:~:text=For%20some%20people%2C%20learning%20about,juicier%20the%20news%2C%20the%20better.&text=People%20who%20lack%20social%20skills,others%20with%20the%20same%20interests.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ne9ae8/gossip-may-have-played-a-role-in-human-survival
https://www.inquiremedia.co.uk/single-post/2019/02/02/Print-media-is-dying#:~:text=In%201960%2C%2080%20percent%20of,had%20dropped%20to%20below%2010%25.&text=One%20main%20reason%20for%20the,news%20that%20can%20be%20utilised.
https://bigthink.com/big-think-books/vicki-robin-joe-dominguez-your-money-or-your-life
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/04/success/personal-savings-best-options/index.html