Rumors : An Introduction (By - Anant Mathur)

Which is the fastest thing to spread in this world? Let me give you a Hint. It

is a six letter word and it starts and ends with the same alphabet, I think you

got it.

Yes, the word is “RUMOUR”.

Rumours are the spice of life. Though this word seems simple and

innocuous but at times it can prove to be disastrous. Rumors can be about

anything, it can be about an individual, an organization, a state, an object or

a country and surely it has the potential to deteriorate the image of a well to

do person.

A rumour usually starts with an innocent whisper. It could be spoken,

printed, posted etc. Some are true and some are not, some are positive and

some are negative, but negative rumours spreads more easily and briskly

than the positive ones. In most cases the original fact is molded and twisted

to make it more alluring and catchy.

When someone is jealous of somebody, disappointed or angry he starts

spreading fake news about him or sometimes it is only for fun but as soon

as it starts to spread from person to person, people start exaggerating the

thing and it becomes totally different than the original one and at times it can

be fatal.

Even though some people try to avoid rumours, but when these spreads

through authentic newspapers and pamphlets, people are more likely to

believe in it and accept them as true facts.

It just need an ideal audience to become popular and when it reaches them,

it starts spreading at a very fast pace.

In this modern age rumours have become vigorous than ever. Social media

platforms help them to spread more easily and rapidly. Things like

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp have helped spreading them

and making it available to a colossal audience. Through a single tap it can

be shared around the world and more the share and retweet it gains, the

easier it becomes to access.

For e.g. if any famous personality is being treated in hospital or is suffering

from a disease, and someone from the aware audience spread the rumors

of his/her death, people all over the country start believing in it blindly rather

than checking the authenticity and source of such information. There are

many fake accounts on social media encouraging and spreading rumours.

Recently there was a video which got viral on WhatsApp, spreading fake

news about child-lifters which resulted in mob lynching in various parts of

the country. Similarly, there are many communities who spread misleading

information about some religious groups in order to create an atmosphere of

violence and hatred in the country. All this contribute to prejudice and

discrimination.

Rumour can ruin a life of a person whether it is the one who is spreading it.

Yes, rumor can amount to an illegal act, which will have legal

consequences. It can be qualified as an act of defamation, which is a crime.

If a person is been harmed by some kind of misinformation, then the one

who is uplifting it can be in legal trouble.

Talking about why rumours are spread? Psychology has an answer to

share.In 1947, Gordon Allport and Leo Postman published the book ‘The 

Psychology of Rumor’. In which they wrote about why people spread

rumors.

Following are the 6 reasons-

· When there is uncertainty related to a topic.

· When people feel anxiety.

· When a person found some information important he/she tends to

share it with other people.

· When people believe in some information.

· People spread information when it helps their self-image.

· People spread rumors when it helps their social status.

Talking about today’s situation where the world has already suffered so

much and is still suffering. Rumours are exacerbating the situation and have

taken a great jump adding to our sufferings. About every single thing a

rumor is there. During such crisis it becomes as easy as pie to spread them.

Some of the rumours which are circulating in this crisis are-

· Drinking alcohol can protect you against the COVID-19.

· Only adults and young people are at risk.

· Animals like, cats and dogs spread this virus.

· Exposing your-self to hot climate will kill the virus.

· Eating meat will be harmful.

WhatsApp messages are flooded with this type of misinformation. Even

though the government and WHO has issued myths buster to make people

aware of the real facts so that they don’t panic but still people are believing

these fake and misleading information and promoting it in the society.

In order to curb misinformation WhatsApp is teamed with ‘WHO’ which

has brought a chatbot called ‘World Health Organization chatbot’.

This chatbot provide authentic and verified information to the users

related to the pandemic. Users have to just send a ‘Hi’ on the number

+41798931892 and they can access all information regarding COVID-19.

Not only WHO, WhatsApp has also teamed up with Government of India

to provide the right information and to clear myths.

PM Narendra Modi has shared a WhatsApp helpline number

9013151515 so that people can get authentic and true information related to

virus, all we have to do is send a ‘Namaste’ on this number.

Recently. Also government has asked all social media platforms too start

awareness campaign, remove misinformation and promote authentic

information related to virus.

WhatsApp unveiled a grant of $1 million to curb misinformation to the

poynter institute’s international fact-checking network (IFCN).

Also spreading rumors during this pandemic will bring you some legal

inconvenience. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) refers

to Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, which says, “Whoever

makes or circulates a false alarm or warning as to disaster or its severity or

magnitude, leading to panic, shall on conviction, and be punishable with

imprisonment which may extend to one year or with fine.”

At last I appeal to all the people that, we are the only one who spread

rumours and we are the only one who can restrain it. So from now if we hear

or see any kind of misinformation, first and the foremost thing that we will do

at that particular time is to stop it from spreading further and will try to stay

quiet about it and try to reach some authentic and trusted source before

sharing.

Authored By - Anant Mathur.