Rumors and the Internet: A Symbiotic Relationship
by Charles Rando

   A rumor is a bit of information that is passed from person to person, whether it's true or false. Some rumors are mostly harmless, but rumors can have serious consequences during a crisis, when the need for accurate information is most critical.

   In the wake of September 11, rumors have flourished—more so than in any point in history. Despite the best efforts of journalists, the news media have always contributed to the spread of rumors,  and local gossips have done their part to spread rumors in small towns. The Internet has changed the evolution of rumors, however.  Now a rumor started in Florida can make its way across the world in seconds, mutating as it travels like the subject of an international game of telephone. On September 11 the Internet was a major conduit for rumors that many people, including some journalists, mistook for fact. This series of articles looks at  the morphology of key rumors as they traveled across the Internet during and in the days after the attack.

Topics covered in this series include:

How People Live with E-mail Forwards

How Newsgroups Reacted to the First  Reports on Sept. 11

How a College Student Started a Rumor on the Web

An Anthropologist Explains Rumors

Why Did So Many Rumors Start in New Jersey?

How Rumors Spread Across the Internet

   The common misconception about the Internet is that it only consists of the websites and email many Internet-users see on a daily basis.  The true structure of the Internet is much more complex and offers various means for a rumor to spread.

• E-mail- Electronic mail is the most widely utilized resource of the Internet.  Millions of people across the world have at least one email address.  One rumor sent to one person by email could be sent on to ten more if the receiver  forwards the message to people he or she knows.  If that trend continues, a rumor's exposure can grow exponentially.
  
  

• Newsgroups- Newsgroups have been called  "virtual coffeehouses."  They are online groups devoted to specific subjects where users can post news, ideas, discussions and rumors.  A good example of how newsgroups work can be found by examining messages posted on September 11.  Messages in newsgroups are often good sources for new rumors, as these messages can easily be forwarded to email addresses and other newsgroups. 
  
  

• Message boards- Message boards are web-browser friendly discussion groups.  Many websites offer their users a chance to discuss issues with other users.  News sites such as CNN.com and Yahoo! offer discussion groups on various current events.  Some users have complained about censorship in some message boards, suggesting that free discussions in these groups might not be possible.  They are, however, incubators for rumors and news.

Why Rumors Are Started and Spread

If rumors are by definition unverified, why would anyone deliberately start or continue the spread of false information? The answer is complex and depends in part on the type of rumor in question. In a classic study, Tomatsu Shibutani, a sociologist, argued that rumor is a form of collaborative problem solving, particularly in times of uncertainty and crisis. People speculate, advance theories and pool their tidbits to create what Shibutani called "improvised news." Any number of factors can contribute to this improvisation.  CCSU anthropologist Kenneth Feder said  fear is a big motivator. Many people spread rumors with the idea that "it's better to be safe than sorry." This was the reason many people had for forwarding the Halloween/Mall rumor. Some September 11 rumors came about due to a mix of proximity to and fear of foreigners.  The city of Wayne, New Jersey gave birth to various  rumors. Home to a large Arab-American population, Wayne also housed for a short while two of the September 11 hijackers. 

Some people spread rumors just because they crave attention; this was true even before the Internet. The  difference now is that the Internet provides the possibility of a worldwide audience.