There’s no denying that everybody likes gossip – but gossip as we know it has changed in the digital age. Whether your tabloid masks you from your partner at breakfast, your weekly magazine lives in your bag or you start your day with the Perez Hilton website, the nature of gossip and its presentation has changed. And it’s gained momentum. Do we still need the middleman editor who chooses and prioritises stories for you (and occasionally acts as spin doctor) or do we prefer to go to the source via official websites, blogs, Twitter and Facebook?

Lisa ‘S’ Selesner, VJ and television host for Asia’s Channel V music station and Star Movies says, “It’s great to hear gossip right from the horse's mouth but it’s usually pretty bland. There's nothing like a well-written scandalous article about one of your favourite idols. ‘Journalistic liberties’ become outrageous until it’s impossible to put down.”

When we get news direct from the source or through social media, is it really still gossip? Or does the ‘transparency’ of getting direct updates remove that factor? Some stars and well-to-do figures create their own gossip: Rihanna has various Twitter-based jokes with Kesha – both known for their overt sexuality. “Many stars have massive followings. It's quite common for a movie actor to tweet about the film they are making to generate interest,” notes Steve Garton, Managing Director of Media, Synovate Greater China. Politicians also have Twitter accounts to ensure the material they push out plays to their advantages. And this is where editors perform another key role – not as interpreter, but as an independent voice.

However, social media has limitations that a newspaper or magazine – online or off – doesn’t. A ‘post’ is usually limited to a number of characters. Selesner points out that this “satisfies most people's need to know the truth, making them feel connected to their idols,” but we tend to rely on editorials to help us digest, dissect and investigate the information more deeply. The editorial middleman plays an irreplaceable role, giving magazine and tabloid-style content a firm place in our hearts, compared with a social media post, even when it’s straight from the source.

“Magazines are about specialised content, which attracts a specific group of readers,” says Garton. Getting the facts directly may seem like a good idea but specialised content can give viewpoints which readers themselves may not be able to have come across themselves. “It’s not about trying to get the scoop out before, say, Perez Hilton. It’s about how you present it. There are definite challenges – it’s down to connecting with the audience and less about the actual content,” adds Selesner.

Technology has increased the momentum of any gossip, news and information, which has changed the game, in one sense. But there are clear differences between print and digital media. Print is “alive and well in developing countries because it’s cheap and readily accessible in providing news, where the Internet might be limited or slow,” says Steve Garton.

Technology is increasingly user-friendly, and now “the generation gap is becoming history; there is clear evidence that this technology is so simple that older generations are adopting digital media – in droves,” says Garton. It’s becoming cheaper to purchase too, making it inevitable, even if developing countries take longer to follow suit.

While it looks as though direct-from-the-source gossip and editorialised, journalistic representations both have active roles today, the issue for publications is how to springboard readers from print to digital. The answer is cross-sell. Garton provides a few key points: “The answer for any 'mainstream' media owner is go with the flow and provide online gossip topics that audiences have asked to hear about in their format of choice – or lose them. Print is a great platform to shift readers online to share and extend their experience – and tablets are central in bridging the gap between printed and digital content. Get those apps developed – and get them viral!”

For more information, please contact Steve Garton, Managing Director of Media, Synovate Greater China, at steve.garton@synovate.com.