“Did you hear?”
“I don’t know if this is true but…”
By very definition, a rumor is information that is doubtful or unverified. So why do we give them so much power?
Even when a rumor is used to uplift someone’s character or spread awareness about a situation, the spreading of unverified information is still wrong.
We are all guilty of the spreading of rumors, or sharing a story we cannot prove is true. Often, we will share this with a close friend or confidante, but sometimes we simply use these stories as “table talk,” especially when the story seems to hold no weight.
Sometimes we will also find ourselves being the person receiving the message, and although our part may seem small, one story can completely ruin someone’s life.
An ACU freshman recalls the story of a rumor that spread around her high school.
“So it went around school that I wasn’t straight – and this guy tried to rape me because he thought I wasn’t straight and then started telling everyone that I came on to him.”
As a result of this rumor, she was forced to move to a different school. It had a negative impact on her mental health, and she still struggles with the impact that rumor had on her mental health and social status to this day.
I believe rumors are easy to believe because we do not want to or do not see the importance of seeking out the truth. Big or small, as a society we often overlook things that do not apply directly to our life.
So instead of seeking the truth, we accept the easy way out. We listen when someone begins sharing details about other people’s lives, and sometimes we share that information ourselves.
Today, information is at our fingertips. With a few taps on a screen, we have access to countless pieces of information previous generations did not have to worry about. Instead of a rumor taking days or weeks to spread through a community, with the addition of social media it can now take less than minutes.
Yik Yak is one popular service that only helps in the spread of rumors.
This app was designed for college students to share helpful tips about campus and updates about what is going on at the college. However, many people have begun using the app to share their opinion on people.
Katie Howard, senior communications major from Chicago, Illinois originally used the app for its intended purpose of regular updates on student life, but soon she discovered what the app was truly being used for.
“A lot of people use it now for cyberbullying, and since it’s all anonymous a lot of people feel like they can say whatever they want,” Howard said.
Unlike in-person, anyone can hide behind a screen. In fact, the person who spreads a character-damaging comment on Yik Yak may not even know the person who they insulted.
Unlike online, in-person interactions involving rumors can hurt us so much more.
One freshman recalls a rumor she saw on Yik Yak that listed another ACU freshman by name and spread the false rumor that she was pregnant.
In fact, I downloaded Yik Yak myself and found several comments similar to this. While many users have stopped using people’s names to spread rumors, there are still many comments that can severely damage someone’s character or a group of people’s reputation.
The only way to combat rumors is to not give them any power. If we began ignoring social media posts that spread lies, the likelihood of them spreading far enough to hurt someone decreases significantly.
If we choose the truth over lies and the light over the dark, we can all have a brighter tomorrow.