Rumors spread between people.
A rumor is information whose veracity is in doubt or cannot be corroborated . Rumors are usually generated and transmitted among people, although sometimes they are spread by the media.
Rumors usually arise to condition people's thoughts or behavior with a purpose. Although, at least initially, its veracity cannot be confirmed, the comments do not take long to be reproduced as they are usually shocking or controversial.
Example of rumor
A political party opposing a government , for example, can launch rumors about alleged acts of insecurity with the intention of generating an adverse climate and causing unrest in the population. In this way, it seeks to obtain a return to capitalize on in the following elections.
Although rumors used to spread by word of mouth, nowadays social media plays a very important role. It is common for people to share or forward rumors without worrying about confirming their veracity.
Rumors usually aim to condition behavior or thinking.
The role of journalism
Journalism used to be characterized by disseminating only confirmed or verified information . Journalists, in this way, built their credibility based on their ability to confirm and disseminate real data. In recent times, however, many media outlets have begun to spread rumors as part of their information offering.
In this way, the host of a television news program can announce: “A rumor indicates that the mayor has resigned” , “Breaking news: they say that the French player would miss the tournament due to a physical problem” , “There are very strong rumors about the sale of the national company to an investment group.”
The rumor in show business
This phenomenon of "rumor as news" is increasingly common in the media, although it occurs especially in certain sectors, such as the entertainment world. What would become of most magazines, television shows and Internet sites dedicated to the lives of celebrities if it weren't for rumors? No matter how much money a person has, no matter how many properties and shares in multinational companies he or she owns, no life is so interesting as to attract the attention of the public every day, unless it is touched up a little - or a lot, depending on the case-.
In this context, rumors usually revolve around infidelity in the couple, marriage or divorce plans, unannounced pregnancies and the decision to leave the stage, among other topics. It should be noted that a rumor can be innocent or malicious ; This last group, the most common in entertainment, includes false information about a person's personality (saying that it is very difficult to work with them because of their arrogance and arrogance, for example), their state of health ( commenting that he has become seriously ill or even died) or his financial situation (spreading false news about his supposed lack of money).
The term in video games/
Another area in which rumors are common is the video game industry, and here you also find information from unreliable or anonymous sources that try to damage the image of different companies, but there are also innocent rumors, which simply appear to increase the euphoria of fans when an important event or the launch of games and consoles approaches.
Many players enjoy reading rumors when they know that their favorite company is about to announce a new device or game, since in the absence of official information, these data serve as a distraction and uncover all kinds of controversies on social networks. Among the large number of rumors, there is always true information, provided by those who have the right contacts, but sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish it from the rest.