Structured-Deliberative Gossip

Abstract

Ideas and government policies, whatever they are, are ventilated on step-motherly ration and fanned as ‘gossip', sometimes, to test their popularity or otherwise before they are implemented. Employing deduction from observation, and using longitudinal approach and literature, findings of this investigation reveal that governments in the Global South adopt this communication strategy as an inverted feedback mechanism for policies they are not certain will enjoy public acceptability. The exploratory study stretches the parameters of the usage of the tactics by interrogating earlier theories like grapevine, propaganda. The study lays a foundation of the operational principles and applicability of a new political communication theory, structured-deliberative gossip theory (or grapevine info-filter theory), especially on matters of plebiscites in the Global South.