Rumour and Gossip in the Workplace - Literature Review

One thing everyone knows is when people gossip and the press gets a hold on a story, the story won’t be straight and it will be a distortion of the truth. Both can be manipulating, false advertised, and one-sided. Also, both can be just as bad as the other. It depends on your situation.

Rumors are something that we all know are constantly spreading everyday; however, most of us might not exactly know the specific effects that they can and do have on our social lives. In this article by Jesse Singal titled “How To Fight a Rumor” he writes to try and explain the effects that rumors have and different methods that some people have used to try and counter them. His thesis is that in order to combat rumors we must first learn about the inner workings of rumors themselves. He does this by using examples such as the 2008 presidential election, studies that have been conducted, and the research from those studies. These examples along with others combine to make his argument much more strong.

“How to Fight a Rumor” by Jesse Signal is an essay that gives information about rumors and how to fight them. The essay uses research from rumor researchers and gives different examples of how people deal with rumors. It also views rumors on a psychological level and looks into why people spread them. In the essay, Jesse Signal informs the reader why people spread rumors, how to fight rumors, and gives examples of how people deal with rumors.

Everyone has had some experience with gossip. In this lab, you will explore how well rumors (or secrets) spread when this information is passed on to other people.

Salmans main purpose is to inform her readers of current legal battles being pursued by Procter and Gamble in discrediting false rumors, which were causing a threat to the company 's sales and reputation. Salmans also debates the issue of rumors and provides actual opinions concerning the rumors from a variety of sources, mainly the prosecutors, defense and church ministers to provide the reader with opposite views. I believe that rumors are usually created due to rivalry, anger, jealousy or hate either amongst individuals or corporations. Rumors most often hinder a person character, beliefs or

The reason that these yellow presses can spread rumours so quickly is because people at that time don’t know that the “truth” they tell are not exactly what happened. People don’t know anything about it so it

In, “One Man’s Rumer I Another Man’s Reality, Gregory Rodriguez, an author of the Los Angeles Times he argues about the power of broadcasting the truth and its effect on the people. As a result, “can false rumors and off-the-wall theories be corrected by broadcasting the truth” (Gregory Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2009)?

However, if the news is based just on rumors, what would it be? It would turn out fake news. The recent memorable incident relating to the fake news would be during the 2016 US presidential campaign. In “The Journal of Economic Perspectives,” Enrico Moretti and Gordon Hanson state that fake news had some influence over the election result that Trump became the US president (Moretti and Hanson. 235). They also mention that they discover 41 articles which support Clinton or are against Trump and 115 articles which support Trump and are against Clinton (Moretti and Hanson. 225). These pro-Clinton articles were shared on Facebook 7.6 million times and these pro-Trump articles were shared 30.3 million times (Moretti and Hanson. 225). What makes surprising about this fact is those articles later turned out to be fake news. Before the news about Clinton’s scandals was leaked, there were much less of people who would vote for Trump and much less of fake news criticizing her. Nonetheless, her scandals came out, those fake news based on rumors increased the number. People read them out of their curiosity and shared them in a second.

“Users appear to be less capable of distinguishing true from false rumors… in fact, we show that the prevalent

A rumor can be classified as a special case of informal social communications that include myth, legend, and current humor. Rumors have three basic characteristics to them. The first is mode transmission which is usually done through word of mouth. The second characteristic is that they provide information, ranging from a particular person, an event, or condition. Lastly, the third characteristic is that a rumor satisfies mythology, folklore, and humor. Rumors have the

Neil Simon's farce, Rumors, gives readers an in-depth look at the lives of ten wealthy individuals attending a dinner party. In an attempt to stay within the social crown, the characters start unsubstantiated rumors about their friends in an attempt to make themselves look better. The hosts of the party, Ken Gorman, and his wife Chris must cover up the fact that a friend of theirs, Charley Brock, has been shot in the ear lobe. They do not know how he got shot, but they decide that he must have tried to commit suicide, and thereby proceed to spread rumors about what they have heard in an attempt to avoid a possible attempted suicide scandal. They first lie to Charley's personal doctor, they lie about what happened to all of the servants,

Defined as the idle talk or rumor that typically refers to another’s personal or private affairs, gossip plays a major role in formulating our opinion of others. Appearing seemingly harmless, gossip is often seen as a double-edged sword. On the positive side of things, discussion of social norms and values can build trust, intimacy, and community among peers, especially through the use of constructive feedback. For those that do not want their private affairs made public, gossip can harm a person’s self-confidence, form tension among friend groups, and cause damage to one’s social reputation, regardless if the information provided is true or not.

Heeman, V. (2007). Workplace Bullying: A Distinct, Interpersonal, and Communicative Phenomenon. Paper presented at the meeting of the National Communication Association.

“Gossip” (pg: 199) Connotative: Talking to someone Denotative: Talking about a person behind there backs without even knowing.

Do not gossip, or fall in to the trap of one who does. Gossip can destroy a person and ruin their career, and is something that is easy to fall in to.