Rumor rest stops on the information highway: Transmission patterns in a computer-mediated rumor chain

Classic simulation studies of rumor transmission chains often have been characterized as lacking mundane realism. The present study spawned new insights on the basis of an analysis of the structure and composition of a naturalistic rumor chain that surfaced on the information highway. Content analyses of the individual messages during a 6-day period revealed distinctive patterns in both content and level of individual participation. In general, the results were consistent with the idea of rumormongering as a collective, problem-solving interaction that is sustained by a combination of anxiety, uncertainty, and credulity. The study extends the literature on temporal patterns in group computer-mediated communication (CMC) by showing that in a naturalistic setting, group development patterns of a CMC group were similar to those reported in the face-to-face (FtF) group literature.

[1]  L. Postman,et al.  The psychology of rumor , 1947 .

[2]  S. Schachter,et al.  A field experiment of rumor transmission and distortion. , 1955, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[3]  George A. Theodorson.  The Function of Hostility in Small Groups , 1962 .

[4]  B. Tuckman.  DEVELOPMENTAL SEQUENCE IN SMALL GROUPS. , 1965, Psychological bulletin.

[5]  T. Shibutani.  Improvised News: A Sociological Study of Rumor , 1966 .

[6]  S. Anthony,et al.  Anxiety and rumor. , 1973, The Journal of social psychology.

[7]  Michael R. Anderberg,et al.  Cluster Analysis for Applications , 1973 .

[8]  Gary Alan Fine,et al.  Rumor and Gossip: The Social Psychology of Hearsay , 1976 .

[9]  Ralph L. Rosnow,et al.  Who Hears What from Whom and with What Effect , 1980 .

[10]  J. Overall,et al.  Applied multivariate analysis , 1983 .

[11]  Sara Kiesler,et al.  Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication , 1984 .

[12]  C. Gersick.  Time and Transition in Work Teams: Toward a New Model of Group Development , 1988 .

[13]  Irwin Altman,et al.  Temporal aspects of computer-mediated communication , 1988 .

[14]  Ralph L. Rosnow,et al.  Factors influencing rumor spreading: Replication and extension. , 1988 .

[15]  Ralph L. Rosnow,et al.  Rumor as Communication: A Contextualist Approach. , 1988 .

[16]  Starr Roxanne Hiltz,et al.  Experiments in group decision making, 3: disinhibition, deindividuation, and group process in pen name and real name computer conferences , 1989, Decis. Support Syst..

[17]  J. Walther,et al.  Relational communication in computer-mediated interaction , 1990 .

[18]  Allan J. Kimmel,et al.  Psychological Correlates of the Transmission and Acceptance of Rumors About AIDS1 , 1991 .

[19]  R. L. Rosnow.  Inside rumor: A personal journey. , 1991 .

[20]  E. Iyer,et al.  Origin of rumor and tone of message in rumor quelling strategies , 1991 .

[21]  S. Wheelan,et al.  Developmental Patterns in Same-Sex and Mixed-Sex Groups , 1992 .

[22]  S. Wheelan,et al.  Developmental Patterns in Small and Large Groups , 1993 .

[23]  S. Wheelan.  Group Processes: A Developmental Perspective , 1993 .

[24]  Joseph E. McGrath,et al.  Introduction: The JEMCO Workshop-Description of a Longitudinal Study , 1993 .

[25]  J. McGrath,et al.  Group Task Performance and Communication Technology , 1993 .

[26]  David W. Park,et al.  Interpersonal Effects in Computer-Mediated Interaction , 1994 .

[27]  R. L. Rosnow,et al.  Reining in rumors , 1994 .

[28]  J. Walther.  Relational Aspects of Computer-Mediated Communication: Experimental Observations over Time , 1995 .

[29]  Donald B. Rubin,et al.  Reliability of measurement in psychology: From Spearman-Brown to maximal reliability. , 1996 .

[30]  Prashant Bordia,et al.  Studying verbal interaction on the Internet: The case of rumor transmission research , 1996 .

[31]  P. Bordia.  Face-to-Face Versus Computer-Mediated Communication: A Synthesis of the Experimental Literature , 1997 .