Research Paper about Rumors

There is always some truth in a story, right? Well, what happens once that story starts to receive more attention? Think it will still have the same factual information from the 10th person that has told that one story? Names, numbers, and places are some of the easiest ideas in a story to become mixed up. These turn into rumors and continue to spread although part of the story has been misshapen and is no longer a true story. Rumors are almost always hurtful, a rumor could be about someone’s medical disability that someone wanted to be private, but many people also often confuse these rumors with gossip. Gossip is rather harmless in most instances, while rumors can lead to further issues. Psychologist and science journalist, as well as a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, Daniel Goleman, wrote a selection, “Anatomy of A Rumor: It Flies on Fear” that well explains stories passed around can turn into rumors, and also compares them to gossip. Since rumors occur in an extremely strong and hurtful manner while gossip comes about as a rather harmless icebreaker, rumors spread more unhesitatingly and can destroy someone’s reputation.

Rumors can lead to very damaging results and could potentially ruin someone's reputation. People who have had rumors started about them know how hard it can be to prove the truth. Gossip exists where it normally blows over in a few days, so they do not damage people as much. Goleman explains that “Gossip is small talk, a kind of intellectual chewing gum, while rumors have the feel of something of great substance”(Goleman 488). Everyone thinks about rumors and gossip the same commodity. Gossip, even though many people think it has a negative connotation, is less damaging than a rumor. This occurs since gossip does not purposely attack someone’s reputation or feelings, while rumors spread very rapidly and feed off anxiety to make others feel better about themselves. It is not uncommon for someone to try and bring down other people to make them feel better about themselves. 

Although gossip is not as detrimental, both rumors and gossip still have an impact on today’s society, especially with social media. Sherri Gordon, a published author and bullying prevention expert wrote an article, “Understanding the Impact of Rumors and Gossip,” that went into detail about how gossip and rumors spread and how they affect someone’s life and even the way someone views themselves. Talking about another person, whether these ideas are true or false can create rumors that could potentially destroy someone’s mental health and make them look very down upon themselves (Gordon). Some rumors that include someone’s safety make an uproar of anxiety and panic. People do not know what to do with this newfound information and they feel the only measures they can take to calm down that anxiety is by spreading the word, whether true or false. No matter what this affects a great deal of teenagers because they are all worried about what other people think and look like. They commonly compare themselves to other people, so when a horrible rumor starts to go around about them, it destroys their mental health.  An example of this could be someone self-harming themselves. If a teenager notices a girl in the hall with marks on her arms, what will she do? Will she tell an adult? Probably not. When someone notices something like that, the first person told is her best friend. Now, what does her best friend do with this information that could lead to further harm? She may go on to tell another person and it will continue. Halfway through the school day, the entire school converses about this girl. This girl, already traumatized and in a poor position, now feels even worse about herself since the entire school knows about her issue. Sadly, if this girl would try to talk to someone, they could easily brush it off and say “this is normal it’s what teenagers do,” “they are all drama.”

Circumstances where spreading rumors hurt or damage someone’s reputation exist far from normal. Gordon explains, “when that drama involves toxic friendships, slut-shaming, and spreading rumors, that is anything but normal.” There can be harmless rumors, but once these rumors start to involve someone’s reputation and hurt someone emotionally or physically there begins to be a problem. Once people hear a story they make their personal opinions about a situation, they form their own theories, and they start to make assumptions. An author who explained this theory well is Alden Etra. He wrote “Gabby Petito’s Boyfriend Hiding Something? Suspicious Incident Involving Brian Laundrie and Strange Statement by Lawyer Raise Questions” and he is also the assistant editor of Breaking Daily News and author for My Financial Times. This article was written and published before Gabby Petito’s case was solved, but it gives a very good example of how a rumor can even spread worldwide. Alden Etra specifically focused on Gabby’s boyfriend that she was traveling with when she disappeared. People are getting suspicious and questioning whether or not he should be a suspect. Etra gives an acceptable description of where the people are coming up with their suspicions:

They were traveling together in Gabby’s 2012 Ford Transit van. That is where we believe Gabby was last seen. Brian is refusing to tell Gabby’s family where he last saw her. Brian is also refusing to explain why he left Gabby all alone and drove her van to Florida. These are critical questions that require immediate answers… How does Brian stay in the background when he is the one person that knows where Gabby is located? (Etra)

With a story this deep that is still being investigated, people begin to make their own conclusions. In 2021, people are more opinionated than ever before, and this can lead to very adamant, deep conclusions. Her case has flooded social media all over the United States and many people are coming to the conclusion that Brain Laundrie had something to do with Gabby Petito’s disappearance. The rumors are starting because it makes no sense why someone would travel around the United States with someone then show up home without them while refusing to speak to anyone.  Although this would make sense, not all rumors and gossip always make sense. That is because people can make them up from just about anything they hear or see no matter the facts. 

Although they may not always have a large quantity of information or credible sources, people still form opinions on a variety of topics. Relating back to Goleman’s selection he explains “the source cited for a rumor is usually specific enough to sound plausible, but distant enough to be unverifiable”(489). Stories far removed can still sound very true since based on a true event. Although not all the facts are correct, this still makes it sound somewhat believable. When Goleman says that the source of the rumor is unverifiable, he means that because this story has been passed around so much the first person to tell the correct story is too far removed from the picture to be able to verify the rumor. To back up Goleman’s theory, Alden Etra gives a favorable example of how this happened recently. Police disclosed a webcam video of the van being pulled over just days before Gabby went missing and Gabby was crying from a discussion that happened prior; “Despite the insufficient evidence, some have speculated that the incident included a fight or breakup” (Etra). As stated before Alden Etra is explaining how the evidence was not there, but people were still able to come up with theories on what caused Gabby’s disappearance. As rumors were described, this can be detrimental to Brian Laundrie. If the case reveals that he did not have anything to do with her disappearance, this rumor that has gone global could quite possibly destroy his reputation. Which would make it hard for him to ever show his face in public again. Gordon states, “for those who are impacted, gossip can be downright painful and almost impossible to ignore.” This case and the gossip spreading about it are directly impacting Brain Laundrie tremendously. Although, this is a case that is unavoidable to not create theories about; If the case is ruled in a certain direction, people will still believe what they thought in the beginning. This all relates to the fact that dramatic, damaging gossip can be pried from the smallest bit of information given to the public. 

Rumors are very emotionally based and can cause many hurtful issues, while gossip is small chit-chat that has no horrible outcome. With social media being one of the biggest influencing platforms in the world right now, rumors spread like wildfires. Although the sources remain unknown, that fire will continue to expand, potentially ruining that source. On the other hand, gossip, commonly mistaken for rumors, can be similar to fireplaces, it stays close to the source, and rarely damages people. Even though you might have answered the beginning questions as yes. Many times when a story is told over and over again that information will be lost.