What about gossip?

Gossip is an interesting word in the English language. It had sinister connotations once upon a time but the word is becoming more fashionable these days. It seems like  a God given right nowadays to know and to probe into another person's affairs. The world tries to bring a distinction by dividing the word into two - harmless and harmful gossip. Is there some substance to this?

Now there are other words in the Bible that suggests something worse like slander or backbiting but I believe gossip will finally lead to these whether it begins harmless or not. The word gossip is not found in the KJV at all, used thrice in the ESV and seven times in the NASB. KJV uses an interesting word - whisperings. All gossips need not be malicious but 1 Tim 5:13 explains the word clearly - 'saying what they should not' (ESV). Gossip usually begins when people have an excess of spare time. They have nothing else to do. They want to feel important and they are keeping their friend informed. What we fail to realize is because of the flesh tendency in us, we naturally gravitate towards pulling the other person down. Now malicious gossips are vicious people. But let us stay far from gossip of any kind. We may be more involved in it that we realize.