A rumor is an unsubstantiated story that spreads from person to person by word of mouth. It may be true or false and can influence the behavior of crowds for good or for ill, such as a riot or an outbreak of a contagious disease. It can also impact individual relationships, such as if someone believes a rumor about their friend winning the lottery.
It is important to understand how rumors work to avoid being taken advantage of. A person who spreads a rumor without checking for the truth can damage their reputation and ruin their social life. It is best to only tell a rumor to people you trust and that you can keep a secret. It is also a good idea to only tell a rumor about yourself to people who will not gossip about it to others.
Our framework draws on much of the foundational social science research in rumoring to create analytic categories, labeled “Dimensions.” These include underlying conditions (such as uncertainty or trust in official information), features of the rumor (such as novelty and emotional valence), and system effects (such as position in a social network).
The rumor’s uncertainty and significance dimensions track the basic law of rumoring first formulated by scholars Gordon W. Allport and Leo Postman in 1946: The strength of a rumor is proportional to its significance to the listener multiplied by the degree of ambiguity surrounding it. Similarly, the rumor’s emotional valence dimension tracks research that finds negative rumors are more likely to be disseminated than positive ones. Especially in times of crisis, negative rumors can be particularly damaging.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, every dimension of our framework shows a high level of rumor-promoting activity: uncertainty about the disease’s cause and effect; lack of confidence in government or local officials; an abundance of bogus cures; negative consequences for families; and limited access to toilet paper. As a result, people shared home remedies, searches for toilet paper, stories about sick loved ones, reactions to lockdowns, and more on social media—all of which fueled the rumor.
It is important to remember that just because a rumor is on the internet does not mean it is true. In fact, many rumors that are spread on the internet turn out to be completely false. It is often easier to believe a rumor that is told by one of your friends because it seems more credible.
When you are going to spread a rumor it is best to start with a trusted friend and only share it with people that you know will keep the rumor a secret. If you can’t do that, then try to find multiple ways to spread the rumor. This will make it less likely that the rumor will come back around to you.
If a rumor does come back to you, be sure to deny it and say that you only heard it from a friend and that your friend promised to never tell anyone else. If you can’t deny it, then you can always point to the person that was spreading it as being a big gossiper.