Rumor is a false and often inaccurate story that spreads rapidly among a group of people through word of mouth. It can be about a person, a situation, or even a thing that has not happened but is likely to happen. Rumors can be about anything from a celebrity pregnancy to a school shooting. They can be true or false, but they will usually be believed, and may even influence the behavior of people in the community. In fact, rumors can sometimes even be more powerful than the truth because they have been disseminated without official confirmation.
There are several reasons why rumors are so pervasive and so damaging. For example, rumors are easy to spread because they tend to be more credible than the truth and because they relate to people’s lives. Moreover, it is hard to stop a rumor once it is spreading because people can react to it before the truth has been established. Therefore, it is important to understand rumor in order to minimize its negative effects.
The term “rumor” is derived from the Latin word for smoke, which is appropriate because rumors can spread quickly and easily through social networking. It is a type of informal communication that can be both true and false, and it has many characteristics similar to other forms of informal communications such as myths, legends, and current humour. However, rumor differs from other forms of informal communications because it is based on topical information and because it appeals to the public’s sense of curiosity and belief.
In addition to spreading quickly, a rumor can also be changed in the process of transmission. There are four types of rumor change: leveling (when the number of details is reduced), adding (when new information is added to the rumor), sharpening (when certain parts of the rumor are emphasized) and assimilation (when the rumor is shaped to fit preconceived ideas).
The most dangerous aspect of a rumor is its tendency to trigger an emotional response in people. For instance, a rumor about the end of the world is likely to scare people and make them act irrationally. Similarly, a rumor that makes people feel angry can cause them to act aggressively toward others.
It is possible to prevent harmful rumors from spreading, but this requires changing the context in which they occur. This can be done by reducing uncertainty and developing trust in formal sources of information. It is also important to develop mechanisms for disconfirming rumors. In one study, a rumor that was investigated and rebutted by experts was less likely to spread than the same rumor that had not been addressed. Additionally, a rumor that is spread repeatedly in a serial fashion with interaction between each teller and listener is more likely to be accurate than the same rumor spread infrequently or without interaction. Furthermore, a rumor that is highly correlated with people’s beliefs and values is more likely to be believed than the same rumor that is not correlated.