ABSTRACT
Rumors-a regular feature of social and organizational life-fascinate, foment, and infuriate. Some examples: Many customers were alarmedfalsely-that Kentucky Fried Chicken had changed its name to “KFC” because it had replaced real chicken meat with “genetically engineered organisms cultured from chicken cells and grown in vats” (Mosemak, 2000, p. 3D). Erie, Pennsylvania, moviegoers draped newspaper, coats, and cloth hand towels over their seats after hearing unsubstantiated rumors of head lice at the new 17-screen Tinseltown theatre (Wesman, 1997). Rumors of school violence kept many secondary students home across the United States in the aftermath of the Columbine School shootings in Colorado (Breen, 1999). Rumors in Baghdad of Israeli conspiracies are common; one rumor claims that Israel is training the Kurdish army so Kurdistan can protect itself in preparation for a Kurdistan secession (“What’s the Word,” 2004). False rumors originating from late-night talk radio that a “metallic object full of aliens” trailed the Hale-Bopp comet may have inspired the “Higher Source” cult belief that it was time to “shed their containers” (i.e., commit suicide) in order to rendezvous with the UFO; 39 members of the group were found dead, their faces and chests draped with triangular shrouds of purple cloth (“Distorted View,” 1997; “Tragedy in California,”
1997). Rumors alter social perceptions, affect attitudes and behaviors, exacerbate hostilities, help groups to cope with the unknown, and reflect the predispositions of the collective. They are an important social psychological phenomenon encountered everywhere.
