The key difference here (in addition to the other differences we’ll see later on) is the motive behind the reveal is to harm the target.
Most gossip is designed to help the person gossiping. One earns points for good gossip. One builds allies, shows value, has fun, shares important information. It might harm or help third parties. In some cases, the motivation will be to hurt someone else, but that is one of many possible reasons. Most information people tell to other people is motivated by a desire to be helpful, even if that desire is for selfish ends.
Here, the motivation is a desire to be harmful. The information is in play because it is harmful. One would expect the information that is released to be net harmful.
Misleading at best. Unless you’re ruling out two-step processes entirely (Gossip causes A, A causes B which helps the gossiper), then the motive behind the reveal IS to help the blackmailer. They reveal information to make credible their initial (and future) blackmail negotiations, instrumentally, so that they can use “gossip” to “help the person gossiping.”
I could have worded it to make this more clear but I think the point stands when clarified/understood—the proximate goal of the blackmail release is to be harmful, whereas the proximate goal of the gossip might or might not be.
If others agree it is misleading I will make this more explicit.
Misleading at best. Unless you’re ruling out two-step processes entirely (Gossip causes A, A causes B which helps the gossiper), then the motive behind the reveal IS to help the blackmailer. They reveal information to make credible their initial (and future) blackmail negotiations, instrumentally, so that they can use “gossip” to “help the person gossiping.”
I could have worded it to make this more clear but I think the point stands when clarified/understood—the proximate goal of the blackmail release is to be harmful, whereas the proximate goal of the gossip might or might not be.
If others agree it is misleading I will make this more explicit.