Enver Yücesan, Professor of Operations Management at INSEAD, and his team developed a model enabling an analysis of the impact individual social interactions in a community have on the spread of slander and rumours among the general public. They simply assessed how easy it is to persuade people to change personal attitudes and believe rumours.
The results show that individuals, no matter how well known or popular they are in the community at the time, will be more effective in disseminating if they do so energetically and forcefully. The researchers called this group "social pumps." By repeating the same disinformation messages on different social networking platforms, they were able to influence the masses in an experiment. However, social pumps can also work in a positive spirit and help dispel rumours.
Echo chamber
One unexpected finding in the study is the extent to which the initial opinions of people in a discussion on social networks are related to the results of the spread of rumours. When roughly the same number of people subscribe to two or more different views and are then exposed to competing views, the population is very likely to polarise. People incline more to new information that corresponds to their worldview if it is spread vigorously in the community. They tend to express their personal view and lean towards a specific standpoint.
Research suggests the spread of rumours from an initially inconspicuous source could have a disproportionate impact on companies. Pepsi, for example, saw stock prices fall in 2016 after Donald Trump supporters called for a boycott of its products over fabricated anti-Trump comments attributed to then Pepsi boss Indra Nooyi.
Perhaps the most disturbing finding is that false rumours survive even long after the truth has been revealed. One plausible explanation is the minority threshold being too high for a change of mind. They can remain in the "echo chambers" of like-minded groups.
So the best thing you can do to prevent the spread of slander is to suppress it right at the outset and with a good dose of force. In other words, hire people who are proficient on social networks, willing to follow online discussions, and able quickly to identify potential problems as they arise. Then, just as the rumours are spreading, go to the discussion threads and publish detailed answers supported by data and evidence. Do this continuously to maintain a long-term positive impact.
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