Rumors Causes

Nicholas DiFonzo a well-known professor of psychology and author of numerous books on rumors defines as rumors as “unverified bits of information that are in circulation among people who are trying to figure out what makes sense of an unclear or ambiguous situation.” In an interview he even goes out to define how and why rumors work. There are several types of rumors and to understand how rumors work we must know how and why they spread.
To understand how and why rumors spread it should be known that there are several types of rumors in existence. Although named/classified differently, Robert H. Knapp and Nicholas DiFonzo both identified them. Knapp classified them as the “Pipe-dream or Wish Rumor…The Bogie Rumor,” and the “The Wedge-driving Aggression Rumor.” The Wish Rumor is as a result of wishful thinking and it gives wishes among those it circulates. The Bogie Rumor is as a result of fears and anxieties among the group. The Wedge-driving aggression rumor is obvious; and it is meant to divide the group. Something rumors usually have in common is that they spread and fast. Similarly, DiFonzo identifies three motivational reasons. The first one is to “fact find, to make sense of the situation or find the reality of the situation.” The second is to “enhance their …show more content…
What is never really understood or explained in depth is how and why rumors spread. Rumors spread differently across the world, and there isn’t just one single answer to explain why and how they spread. There is a lot that goes into explaining why and how rumors spread. Rumors appear when there is anxiety present, they spread because of it, “rumors are a kind of opportunistic information virus, thriving because of their ability to create anxieties that make them spread, and to mutate to fit new situations” (Goleman 487). Rumors have and will always part of our lives and there is no point denying