A rumor is a social phenomenon that requires at least one person to create and spread it, and many others to modify and transmit it, so understanding how a rumor spreads is the key to avoiding it.
Many of the conversations we have every day are full of rumors, they are immersed in society. In fact, he’s short-lived because he’s trying to hide by disguising the real information.
- Thus.
- The veracity of the rumor is called into question.
- Or rather it cannot be corroborated.
- That as a rule they are generated and transmitted from word of mouth.
- Although it is true that sometimes they can also be disseminated by the media.
Rumors often arise that condition people’s thinking or behavior for a specific purpose, although at least at first their veracity cannot be confirmed, comments are soon disseminated, as they are often offensive or controversial.
For example, a large company may initiate rumours about another competitor’s financial situation, which would create insecurity between customers and workers, in order to create a negative climate and harm its competitor.
It should be noted that with the expansion of new technologies, rumors are spreading like gunpowder through social media.
Before delving into spreading a rumor, we will explain what its main characteristics are to fully understand this phenomenon and all that it entails.
The rumor must have some degree of public interest, otherwise no one would bother to transmit it, nor would they waste time listening to it, so it would soon be forgotten.
To have a greater impact, the message being conveyed must be brief, simple and relevant to the recipient, a fundamental concept for understanding how a rumor spreads.
A rumor is supposed to be accepted as an explanation. Your goal is to convince. It is transmitted to be believed and is therefore protected by the authority of the communicator, who in turn needs confidence in its truthfulness.
On the other hand, the original source of the rumor is often attributed to someone important to make it as true as possible.
Spreading a rumor is sharing a belief, a truth that belongs to those who appear or claim to be witnesses.
As we said, the information transmitted with a rumor has not been confirmed, so we settle for the belief that the source is reliable.
The approach we take to believe a rumor is that all the information we receive every day has not been verified and confirmed; and yet, in most cases, they are correct.
Rumor can also be used from a power position as a “test ball”. Before making an important decision, incomplete and brief information is disseminated so that it reaches the base and returns enriched by the opinions of different levels of society.
For example, due to the severe economic crisis of the past decade, many governments have been sending messages of economic austerity and the loss of workers’ labor rights, only to see how the public reacts and how this decision would affect their constituents.
There are certain basic conditions that cause a rumor to form: on the one hand, the content of the message being conveyed must be characterized by its informative ambiguity and, on the other hand, immediately capture people’s attention.
If you decide to study how a rumor spreads, and then create yours, the first thing you have to do is have a good story that catches the recipient’s attention, it’s also important to mix a little truth with a little exaggeration. and then add as many details as we deem appropriate to secure the truth.
However, it should not be forgotten that new content will be added in the transmission of information, some will be included and others will be forgotten. This will change the original message.
Understanding how a rumor spreads is the key to identifying it
As a result of the Allport and Postman investigation, the following basic rumour laws were developed:
Many of our daily conversations are based on many rumors. All matters, from a colleague’s moral behavior to the nation’s destiny, arouse interest in disturbing rumors.
So when accurate and complete data on a topic is not available, rumors are common. It can completely ruin people’s reputation, discredit causes and undermine morale. Its manipulation is used as a propaganda tool. However, if we are attentive, we will be able to detect them effectively.