A rumor is a false story that spreads like wildfire. It can be anything from a celebrity sighting to the news that school will be closed early on Friday. Some rumors are confirmed, while others can never be proven as true. The origin of the word rumor can be traced back to a Latin word that means noise, but it is now primarily used to describe a unsubstantiated or unverified statement.
Social scientists study rumors for the reasons they catch on and spread so rapidly. The first is the basic law of rumor: if a story can be shared in such a way that it satisfies people’s emotional needs, then it will do so. This can be met by arousal (like when someone hears about a celebrity sighting), or by the desire to belong to an in-group or group.
The second reason a rumor can take off is because it meets certain criteria of plausibility. Researchers have found that most rumors will have something familiar at their core — the kind of narrative templates that are recycled with novel elements as new events unfold. For example, a rumor about discarded ballots may have familiar elements such as “discarded ballots were found” or “voters died in the election,” and can be further enhanced by the heightened level of uncertainty that exists during an event, such as waiting for voting results.
Other factors that contribute to a rumor’s success include novelty and familiarity. A rumor that has both of these can spread quickly, but it is the familiar element that motivates most people to share.
It is important to know your audience when trying to start a rumor. A rumor about a shy person is likely to be passed along only a few times, while one that is about a big gossiper will have many more followers. In addition, it is a good idea to use multiple methods of spreading a rumor, including talking in groups, using the telephone, and online.
A final important factor that contributes to a rumor’s speed of spread is its ability to gain traction from a few influential accounts. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in tightly connected social media networks, where influencers serve as gatekeepers that can amplify or shut down the contagiousness of certain claims. A rumor may take longer to reach this point in some cases, but it will eventually do so. Once a rumor gains traction, it can grow even faster, as people collaborate to generate purportedly plausible explanations for the evidence that supports it and make it more compelling. The process is similar to the children’s game of Chinese whispers, where a story is repeated from mouth to ear without any right to verify or correct it. This is made possible by the ease of sharing information in social media and other forms of electronic communication. These networks also allow people to communicate in ways that would be impossible or impractical in face-to-face conversations.