Why does the internet want a Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber 'feud' so badly?

Once again, the internet is convinced that Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez have reignited their "feud," a years-long back-and-forth that has primarily existed thanks to fan speculation.

Rumors of an alleged clash started last week, when Gomez shared a video on TikTok telling fans she "accidentally laminated my brows" too much. Hours later, Kylie Jenner posted a selfie on her Instagram Story with the caption "this was an accident ?????" with the words placed over her eyebrows. Another story included a screenshot of her on FaceTime with model Bieber that prominently featured their eyebrows.

Before he married his wife, the former Hailey Baldwin, Justin Bieber famously dated Gomez for nearly a decade. The women have previously dispelled rumors that there is any bad blood between them. Still, fans are not entirely convinced. A hunt for answers has infiltrated TikTok, as millions are dissecting old interviews and scrutinizing the social media posts of all those involved. Is this song lyric a dig? Was that TikTok comment confirmation of drama?

The public fascination, which some experts even call an obsession, is no surprise. But has our appetite for salacious celebrity gossip turned into something darker?

What happens when fans invent drama between Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner and more

With little insight into celebrity lives, people often resort to gossip and theories, but the reality is we don't know what, if anything, is going on – no matter how much we speculate.

"Now, you get all of this 'data' from social media researchers, sleuths and investigators who are trying to piece together all sorts of theories and conspiracies," says Erica Chito-Childs, a sociology professor at Hunter College and The Graduate Center, CUNY. "So it really has become an additional form of entertainment. We're consuming it like we can't get enough of this drama."

Original story: Selena Gomez announces social media break after dethroning Kylie Jenner as most-followed woman on Instagram

That's because people love to gossip, explains Donna Rockwell, clinical psychologist and CEO of "Already Famous," a wellness community for women and girls. "We're attracted to the story, and we don't really care if we're hurting someone or uplifting someone. We just love a good, dramatic narrative."

For instance, one viral video with over 5 million views compares past interviews to claim that "Hailey Bieber copies Selena Gomez." Another, with 1.5 million views, accuses Gomez of "seemingly mocking" Bieber's skincare routine.

"We want drama, even if it's not there," Chito-Childs says. The two women tried to put the rumors to rest by posing for a photo together in November, but it did little to calm the speculation last week.

Chito-Childs adds, "There seems to be more interest in (the rumors) than focusing on the fact that they both have said they don't want drama."

'Plot twist': Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber prove there's no drama by posing together for photo

How real people are impacted by our comments on celebrity feuds, drama

A conversation about eyebrows and Instagram posts seems petty and relatively harmless. But it has come to the point where the public discourse has become filled with nasty, toxic commentary: innocent memes and jokes have now spiraled into malicious body-shaming, mocking and nitpicking their physical appearances. Shortly after, Gomez announced she was once again leaving social media.

"I'm going to be taking a second from social media because this is a little silly. And I'm 30, I'm too old for this," Gomez said in a TikTok Live video on Feb. 23. "But I love you guys so much, and I will see you guys sooner than later. I'm just going to take a break from everything."

Contrary to popular belief, celebrities, too, are normal people capable of feeling insecure or hurt from mean, online comments and rumors.

"There's this notion that women like Bieber or Gomez 'deserve' this, because they're famous. They 'asked' for it," she says, adding that we've become desensitized to the way some people dehumanize high-profile women for the sake of a laugh. "But if these women, who are some of the most beautiful, influential and successful women, can't escape the comments (about) their face, bodies and relationships, then how can any of us?"

Instead of engaging in toxic discourse or being tempted by salacious scandals, experts suggest looking inward and asking yourself, why? Why does it matter? Why are you so invested in the lives of those you do not know?

"People are often willing to hide behind whatever protections social media gives them, to say whatever comes to mind without first discerning if it's helpful or hurtful," Rockwell says. "Bear in mind that there's a human being you're talking about."

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Contributing: Naledi Ushe

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber and why we're obsessed with their 'feud'