Gossip is usually distinguished from informal communication by its irresponsibility and intent to electrify and worsen connections. It is typically characterized as fear-driven or malicious. This is the sort of harmful nitwittery that often ruins reputations recklessly or maliciously. It should be differentiated from informal networks exchanging information, where people try to get the facts as right as theycan, and do not worsen the picture just by relaying it, and have some sense of responsibility, providing caveats and indications of the degree of uncertainty, including the source of their information, and so on. They are two entirely different kinds of communication. One is beneficial, generally, and the other harms the community by making it dangerous.