Rumors influence: Toward a dynamic social impact theory of rumor

This chapter aims to advance a multilevel and dynamic understanding of rumor as social influence. It focuses on three key phenomena: rumor as shared sensemaking, rumor propaganda, and rumor spread. The chapter seeks to define rumor and focuses on its function of shared sensemaking. Rumors sometimes help people make sense of ambiguous, confusing, and uncertain situations. Classic rumor differs from gossip and urban legend, though these differences often blur. Gossip is evaluative idle talk about individuals – usually not present – often shared for amusement, to communicate social mores, and to exclude someone from a social group. The rumor makes impending threats salient and helps rally group members to take hostile action. Rumors explain and thereby foster expectations. Rumors have been used intentionally to influence others via misinformation and propaganda campaigns. Although this is underemphasized, rumor literature has acknowledged that rumors may originate or spread as part of a motivated – even malicious – whispering campaign.