Irecently had coffee with a friend who heads a business news outlet. He shared how his website crashed after publishing a story about how a famous local celebrity is rumored to be dating the son of a prominent businessman. While he saw the incident as a “good problem” to have, it also felt like a sobering reminder of the power of gossip to draw and hold people’s attention more than any other type of content.

The act of gossiping has existed for centuries as a way for people to build social bonds while exchanging information. In the Philippines, our brand of gossiping culture is best embodied by how the term “Marites” has become a part of the Philippine lexicon. Popularized around 2020, it began as a lighthearted label for someone always “in the know.” It is interesting to note that the term is not necessarily derogatory, but is even seen as a badge of honor that can signal access to social capital or information.

While it often frames gossiping as a form of storytelling and amusement, the normalization of Marites culture carries more serious implications, especially when it spills over into institutional settings like the workplace. For instance, when left unchecked, having a Marites culture in the workplace can significantly affect an employee’s morale and professional growth. When coaching public school teachers, one of the common frustrations I receive from younger employees is that they are afraid to assert themselves and voice out new ideas because they do not want to be the subject of informal scrutiny. It leads to a form of intellectual shaming, wherein people who are perceived to be too ambitious, too eager, or too close to the principal are criticized and talked about. As a result, many teachers said that they just choose to conform rather than deal with all the intrigue and negativity.