ABSTRACT
Rumors originate from unofficial media: they circulate through personal affinity networks and by proximity. One might believe many rumors because they cannot imagine who could possibly benefit from such assertions if they were false. In general, when one cannot evaluate a rumor on the basis of its content, they proceed to causal attribution by elimination. This chapter examines why one can easily believe information related by friends, neighbors, and relatives. Regardless of the efforts made by informative sources and of their prestige, if the information they convey does not satisfy a desire, answer to a latent preoccupation, or provide an outlet for a psychological conflict, no rumor will arise from it. Harmless words and innocent confidentialities may, on the contrary, be snapped up and turned into rumors because there is interest in their consumption. The other language of rumors calls upon someone the group considers to be worthy of trust: his competence and honesty are irreproachable.
