Definition

Rumors are everywhere, whatever the field of social life in the neighborhood,
in the club, hairdressing, supermarket and organizations. "The company is a
special place for rumor, because it is a social space tension, since the conflict
of interest is permanent. The workplace is not just the domain of pent up
frustrations, but also a space filled with anxiety.

Thus, from the social psychology, the rumor is defined as:

A rumor is a specific proposal to believe, which is passed from person to

person, usually orally, uninsured forms of evidence to prove it.

Usually, rumors influence fairly and damage the internal working

environment.

The rumor is also considered as a mode of communication, that is, a way to

become, differentiate and keep the groups. Koenig talks about rumors as fun
to break the boredom and monotony, that is, depending on the degree of
interest produced by a subject must be related to the context. Often the rumor
also serves to divert public attention when the real intention is to achieve other
goals. Rumor is but a special case of informal social communications.

It is obvious that behind the rumor there is an intention therefore, there is a

fountain with specific interests: create disrepute to win his own prestige,
create discord (old strategy "divide and conquer), increasing doubts" false
beliefs and assumptions "that transmits the rumor and feeds resentment to go
against anything or any person, group, or organization.

If to the power itself of the rumor, we add the current spread of information
systems, we are facing a social phenomenon with very powerful influence.

To what extent rumors can influence in our behavior when taking certain
decisions?

A lethal rumor can cause major disasters in fewer 24 hours. Since the
economic rumors, rumors among various groups, including relatives, between
couples, some leading to death.
A rumor can get to hinder many aspects, for example, policing in certain
cases, employees who generate a certain amount of reactive behaviors because
of the rumors, ending in some specific cases generating real productivity
problems. Relationships of couples and friends are breaking because they do
not clarify the rumors.

Feature rumor.

- The rumors, often arise from a major event and ambiguous, open to more
than one interpretation. It is information that provides news about a topical
issue. Must have a certain degree of public interest, otherwise nobody would
bother to pass it or waste time listening, and rumor "die" soon.
Its aim is to convince. It is transmitted to be believed. Run-of-mouth as a
privileged channel, but other media such as pamphlets and media can
contribute to spread. . The Rumors are exceptionally fast, cheap, unpredictable
because they have the credit of those who transmit and also become distorted
when passing from mouth to mouth, added to it, personal interpretation that
many persons give to it at moment to disseminate it, it makes it almost
impossible to intercept.
How is it transmitted?
Knapp. Identified three basic characteristics that apply to rumor: 1. they're
transmitted by word of mouth; 2. they provide "information" about a "person,
happening, or condition"; and 3. they express and gratify "the emotional needs
of the community.
In everyday life rarely we verify the information coming to us through a
friend, colleague or family member. We trust these people. The rumors of
coming from different sources, then they have a force of persuasion.
Sometimes, its content is credible because it comes through credible people.
Like any other means of disseminating messages, the rumor can be used well
or badly. You can give a true information or as a distorting factor of reality.
Finally, and by the rumors, we can assign to others, blame or liability that we
avoid.
Why do people spread and believe rumors?
What attitudes and actions do they affect?
How do rumors become more -and less accurate?
How does trust affect rumor propagation?.