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rumor
Sign in to saveAlso known as rumour, rumors, rumours, hearsay
200px|thumb|right|A 1930s Works Progress Administration poster depicts a man with WPA shovel attacking a [[wolf labeled 'rumor.]] A rumor (American English), or rumour' (British English; see spelling differences; derived from Latin 'noise'), is an unverified piece of information circulating among people, especially without solid evidence.
A rumor is an unverified piece of information that spreads among people without solid evidence behind it. Rumors matter because they circulate widely and can influence what people believe and how they behave, even when they lack factual basis.
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~10 min read
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Early work
- ''A Psychology of Rumor'' (1944)
- ''The Psychology of Rumor'' (1947)
- Social Cognition
- Political Communication Strategy
- Strategic Communication
- See also
- References
- External links
200px|thumb|right|A 1930s Works Progress Administration poster depicts a man with WPA shovel attacking a [[wolf labeled 'rumor.]] A rumor (American English), or rumour' (British English; see spelling differences; derived from Latin 'noise'), is an unverified piece of information circulating among people, especially without solid evidence.
In the social sciences, a rumor involves a form of a statement whose truthfulness or honesty is not quickly or ever confirmed. In addition, some scholars have identified rumor as a subset of propaganda. Sociology, psychology, and communication studies have widely varying definitions of rumor.