Gossipers are everywhere and in every workplace. It is more to do with choices. I learned earlier in junior high school to develop the attitude "If somebody wants another person to know something, they will tell them themselves", so I just keep quiet and don't listen and don't tell. If I am the topic of discussion, let them come to me and I will keep them straight on it. Otherwise, I don't get involved. Also, the larger the company and the more employees you interact with, the more clicks or groups there will be. There will be more competition for positions and favouring too. You either ride the wave or stay out of it. That will vary depending on market availability in your area.

I am in a small town where gossip is more rampant and jobs are fewer and people know somebody who knows somebody else so I tend to keep quiet. In larger cities where I have lived, I have found more anonimity and independence in my life outside of work. I also have found that working for larger businesses with chains or franchises have lead to more department heads and less individuality which results in less recognition for your accomplishments and therefore, more competition among coworkers to be noticed by management. Working in smaller firms was more intimate and personal and less private, but more recognition for accomplishments and more freedom for individuality and originality. You have to choose what suits you best.