A rumor is a story that may or may not be true. It is often passed from one person to another by word of mouth. It is not always true because people may forget some details or add in new ones or change the whole story.
A rumor usually starts off as true but becomes untrue as it spreads among the group. This is called the rumor cycle.
There are many types of rumors. Some are made up and are completely fake. Others are true and are the real deal.
Some rumors are made up by people who know the truth and want to make money off of it. They are also made up because they want to harm someone.
Other rumors are just a story that is told to get attention. They are a form of gossip and can be very important or not. They can also be very dangerous.
Rumors are very important to the public and can help in many ways. They can also be a good way to communicate with others.
During a pandemic, rumours can cause panic and lead to social harm. Therefore, a study on the influencing factors of rumor spreading is important. It can help us to understand the reasons behind the rumor spread and how to prevent it.
The study surveyed 556 individuals and used multiple linear regression and analysis of variance to explore influencing factors. It found that the rumor discrimination ability, perceived severity of the consequences, the presence of opinion leaders, and the individual’s personal anxiety level significantly affected the re-spreading behaviour. It also found that the willingness to re-spread was positively related to the degree of believing rumours and personal anxiety, negatively related to the rumor discrimination ability and the perceived severity of the consequences, and positively related to the presence of opinion leaders.
This study also found that communication channels had an impact on the re-spreading of rumours. It concluded that rumor dissemination through interpersonal communication has the most positive effect on the re-spreading of the rumor.
In this study, archived discussions concerning rumors were retrieved on the internet and other computer networks such as BITnet. A coding system was then used to analyze these discussions, and the four-stage pattern of rumor discussion was determined: prudent, apprehensive, authenticating, interrogating.
This study suggests that it is crucial to verify the authenticity of suspected rumor information in time and take immediate punishment measures, rather than wait for the investigation to be completed before taking action. This approach will reduce panic and prevent social harms in the long run.