Volume 34, Issue 2 (summer 2021)                   JMDP 2021, 34(2): 63-94 | Back to browse issues page


XML Persian Abstract Print


1- Department of Public Administration, Payam-e Noor University, Tehran, Iran. , Morteza_Moradi@pnu.ac.ir
2- Payam-e Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:   (2445 Views)
Purpose: The spread of internet and social networks has increased the number and speed of online rumors. In order to take more effective measures to deal with the negative effects of rumors, researchers and organizations must be aware of the main mechanism of online rumor transmission. This study is performed to investigate the employees’ information exchanges in virtual groups and their belief in rumors and their dissemination in cyberspace according to the information waterfall approach and group polarization. 
Methodology: In order to collect data, survey method and data analysis of correlation type were used. The statistical population of the study included the managers and employees of Hamedan Products Distribution Unit of the Oil Company, from among whom a sample size of 236 were determined. 
Findings: The results of path analysis show that the volume of arguments has a positive and significant effect on consistency with the arguments. Consistency with arguments has a positive and significant effect on the change of belief caused by arguments. The volume of arguments and consistency both have a positive and significant effect on belief in rumors.  Change in belief resulting from arguments and belief in rumors respectively affect belief in rumors and intention to disseminate rumors positively and significantly. Consistency with arguments plays a mediating role in the relationship between the 
volume of arguments and belief in rumors. Argument-induced change in belief plays a mediating role in the relationship between consistency with arguments and belief in rumors. Rumor anxiety plays a moderating role in the relationship between belief in rumors and intention to spread rumors. 
Full-Text [PDF 1008 kb]   (529 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Applicable | Subject: Public Administration
Received: Apr 08 2021 | Accepted: Jul 13 2021 | ePublished: Jan 12 2022

References
1. Aghazadeh, F., Abedi Jafari, H., Taherpour-Kalantari, H., & Zarandi, S. (2018). Deve loping a Causal Model of Administrative Corruption in Tehran Municipality Regions. Quarterly Journal for Management and Development Process, 31(3), 3-48.
2. Allport, G. W., & Postman, L. (1947). The Psychology of Rumor: Henry Holt.
3. Babaei, A. M., & Sattari, A. F. (2018). Investigating the Constructs of Psychosocial and Organizational Gossip Behavior. Journal of Psychological Science, 17(69), 545-556.
4. Bikhchandani, S., Hirshleifer, D., & Welch, I. (1992). A Theory of Fads, Fashion, Custom, and Cultural Change as Informational Cascades. Journal of Political Economy, 100(5), 992-1026. [DOI:10.1086/261849]
5. Bordia, P., & DiFonzo, N. (2004). Problem Solving in Social Interactions on the Internet: Rumor as Social Cognition. Social Psychology Quarterly, 67(1), 33-49. [DOI:10.1177/019027250406700105]
6. Bordia, P., & Rosnow, R. L. (1998). Rumor Rest Stops on the Information Highway Transmission Patterns in a Computer-Mediated Rumor Chain. Human Communication Research, 25(2), 163-179. [DOI:10.1111/j.1468-2958.1998.tb00441.x]
7. Bordia, P., DiFonzo, N., Haines, R., & Chaseling, E. (2005). Rumors Denials as Persuasive Messages: Effects of Personal Relevance, Source, and Message Characteristics. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 35(6), 1301-1331. [DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2005.tb02172.x]
8. Butler Jr, J. K., & Crino, M. D. (1992). Effects of Iinitial Tendency and Real Risk on Choice Shift. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 53(1), 14-34. [DOI:10.1016/0749-5978(92)90052-9]
9. Chen, X., & Wang, N. (2020). Rumor Spreading Model Considering Rumor Credibility, Correlation and Crowd Classification Based on Personality. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 1-15. [DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-62585-9] [PMID] [PMCID]
10. Chen, Y.-F. (2008). Herd Behavior in Purchasing Books Online. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(5), 1977-1992. [DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2007.08.004]
11. Connolly, T., Jessup, L. M., & Valacich, J. S. (1990). Effects of Anonymity and Evaluative Tone on Idea Generation in Computer-Mediated Groups. Management Science, 36(6), 689-703. [DOI:10.1287/mnsc.36.6.689]
12. Dholakia, U. M., & Soltysinski, K. (2001). Coveted or Overlooked? The Psychology of Bidding for Comparable Listings in Digital Auctions. Marketing Letters, 12(3), 225-237. [DOI:10.1023/A:1011164710951]
13. DiFonzo, N., & Bordia, P. (2002). Corporate Rumor Activity, Belief and Accuracy. Public Relations Review, 28(1), 1-19. [DOI:10.1016/S0363-8111(02)00107-8]
14. DiFonzo, N., & Bordia, P. (2007). Rumor Psychology: Social and Organizational Approaches: American Psychological Association. [DOI:10.1037/11503-000]
15. DiFonzo, N., Bourgeois, M. J., Suls, J., Homan, C., Stupak, N., Brooks, B. P.,... Bordia, P. (2013). Rumor Clustering, Consensus, and Polarization: Dynamic Social Impact and Self-Organization of Hearsay. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49(3), 378-399. [DOI:10.1016/j.jesp.2012.12.010]
16. DiFonzo, N., Suls, J., Beckstead, J. W., Bourgeois, M. J., Homan, C. M., Brougher, S.,... Terpstra-Schwab, N. (2014). Network Structure Moderates Intergroup Differentiation of Stereotyped Rumors. Social Cognition, 32(5), 409-448. [DOI:10.1521/soco.2014.32.5.409]
17. Duan, W., Gu, B., & Whinston, A. B. (2009). Informational Cascades and Software Adoption on the Internet: An Empirical Investigation. MIS Quarterly, 33(1), 23-48. [DOI:10.2307/20650277]
18. Eslami, G., Rahimnia, F., Mortazavi, S., & Khorakian, A. (2018). Causes of Backstabbing Behaviors in Public Organizations.
19. Quarterly Journal for Management and Development Process, 31(3), 49-84. [http://jmdp.ir/article-1-3118-en.html]
20. Esposito, J. L. (1987). Subjective Factors and Rumor Transmission: A Field Investigation of the Influence of Anxiety, Uncertainty, Importance, and Belief on Rumormongering. Temple University.
21. Fisher, D. R. (1998). Rumoring Theory and the Internet: A Framework for Analyzing the Grass Roots. Social Science Computer Review, 16(2), 158-168. [DOI:10.1177/089443939801600204]
22. Godes, D., Mayzlin, D., Chen, Y., Das, S., Dellarocas, C., Pfeiffer, B.,... Verlegh, P. (2005). The Firm's Management of Social Interactions. Marketing Letters, 16(3), 415-428. [DOI:10.1007/s11002-005-5902-4]
23. Goh, D. H.-L., Chua, A. Y., Shi, H., Wei, W., Wang, H., & Lim, E. P. (2017). An Analysis of Rumor and Counter-Rumor Messages in Social Media. Paper Presented at the International Conference on Asian Digital Libraries. [DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-70232-2_22]
24. Grosser, T., Kidwell, V., & Labianca, G. J. (2012). Hearing It Through the Grapevine: Positive and Negative Workplace Gossip. Organizational Dynamics, 41(1), 52-61. [DOI:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2011.12.007]
25. He, L., Yang, H., Xiong, X., & Lai, K. (2019). Online Rumor Transmission Among Younger and Older Adults. Sage Open, 9(3), 1-9. [DOI:10.1177/2158244019876273]
26. Hsu, W.-Y., & Liang, C. (2007). The Influence of Source Credibility, User's Affection and Involvement on College Student's Belief toward Internet Rumors. Journal of Educational Media & Library Sciences, 45(1), 99-120.
27. Huang, J. H., & Chen, Y. F. (2006). Herding in Online Product Choice. Psychology & Marketing, 23(5), 413-428. [DOI:10.1002/mar.20119]
28. Isenberg, D. J. (1986). Group Polarization: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(6), 1141-1151. [DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.50.6.1141]
29. Jaeger, M. E., Anthony, S., & Rosnow, R. L. (1980). Who Hears What from Whom and With What Effect: A Study of Rumor. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 6(3), 473-478. [DOI:10.1177/014616728063024]
30. Jorjani, S., mozaffari, A., & Farhangi, A. (2020). The Role of Economic Rumors on the National Development and How to Deal With Them through Media (With an Emphasis on Telegram). Media Studies, 15(48), 23-31.
31. Kamins, M. A., Folkes, V. S., & Perner, L. (1997). Consumer Responses to Rumors: Good News, Bad News. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 6(2), 165-187. [DOI:10.1207/s15327663jcp0602_03]
32. Kimmel, A. J., & Keefer, R. (1991). Psychological Correlates of the Transmission and Acceptance of Rumors about AIDS. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 21(19), 1608-1628. [DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1991.tb00490.x]
33. Knapp, R. H. (1944). A Psychology of Rumor. Public Opinion Quarterly, 8(1), 22-37. [DOI:10.1086/265665]
34. Kwon, K. H., & Rao, H. R. (2017). Cyber-Rumor Sharing Under a Homeland Security Threat in the Context of Government Internet Surveillance: The Case of South-North Korea Conflict. Government Information Quarterly, 34(2), 307-316. [DOI:10.1016/j.giq.2017.04.002]
35. Lee, E.-J. (2007). Deindividuation Effects on Group Polarization in Computer-Mediated Communication: The Role of Group Identification, Public-Self-Awareness, and Perceived Argument Quality. Journal of Communication, 57(2), 385-403. [DOI:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2007.00348.x]
36. Mackie, D., & Cooper, J. (1984). Attitude Polarization: Effects of Group Membership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46(3), 575-585. [DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.46.3.575]
37. Marett, K., & Joshi, K. D. (2009). The Decision to Share Information and Rumors: Examining the Role of Motivation in an Online Discussion Forum. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 24(1), 47-68. [DOI:10.17705/1CAIS.02404]
38. Pendleton, S. C. (1998). Rumor Research Revisited and Expanded. Language & Communication. 18(1), 69-86. [DOI:10.1016/S0271-5309(97)00024-4]
39. Peterson, W. A., & Gist, N. P. (1951). Rumor and Public Opinion. American Journal of Sociology, 57(2), 159-167. [DOI:10.1086/220916]
40. Pezzo, M. V., & Beckstead, J. W. (2006). A Multilevel Analysis of Rumor Transmission: Effects of Anxiety and Belief in Two Field [DOI:10.1037/e529412014-168] [PMCID]
41. Experiments. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 28(1), 91-100.
42. Rosnow, R. L. (1991). Inside Rumor: A Personal Journey. American Psychologist, 46(5), 484-496. [DOI:10.1037/0003-066X.46.5.484]
43. Rosnow, R. L., & Foster, E. K. (2005). Rumor and Gossip Research. Psychological Science Agenda, 19(4), 1-2. [DOI:10.1037/e403822005-004]
44. Rosnow, R. L., Esposito, J. L., & Gibney, L. (1988). Factors Influencing Rumor Spreading: Replication and Extension. Language & Communication. 8(1), 29-42. [DOI:10.1016/0271-5309(88)90004-3]
45. Saffarinia, M., Mazidi, A. M., & Saffarinia, M. (2016). A Comparison between Spreading Internt Rumors and Narcissism among Face Book, Internet, and Non-Internet Users. Social Cognition, 5(1), 68-82.
46. Shams, M., & Forghani, M. (2019). The Role of Social Networks in Generating Rumors in Election Periods (Case Study: Instagram). Quarterly Scientific Journal of Audio-Visual Media, 12(28), 95-120.
47. Shelke, S., & Attar, V. (2019). Source Detection of Rumor in Social Network-A Review. Online Social Networks and Media, 9(1), 30-42. [DOI:10.1016/j.osnem.2018.12.001]
48. Shibutani, T. (1966). Improvised News: A Sociological Study of Rumor: Ardent Media.
49. Sia, C.-L., Tan, B. C., & Wei, K.-K. (2002). Group Polarization and Computer-Mediated Communication: Effects of Communication Cues, Social Presence, and Anonymity. Information Systems Research, 13(1), 70-90. [DOI:10.1287/isre.13.1.70.92]
50. Sun, Z., Cheng, X., Zhang, R., & Yang, B. (2020). Factors Influencing Rumour Re-Spreading in a Public Health Crisis by the Middle-Aged and Elderly Populations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6542. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph17186542] [PMID] [PMCID]
51. Sunstein, C. (2009). On Rumors: How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them. Straus and Giroux: What Can Be Done? Farrar.
52. Turner, M. E., & Pratkanis, A. R. (1998). Twenty-Five Years of Groupthink Theory and Research: Lessons from the Evaluation of a Theory.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 73(2-3), 105-115. [DOI:10.1006/obhd.1998.2756] [PMID]
53. Wang, C., Tan, Z. X., Ye, Y., Wang, L., Cheong, K. H., & Xie, N.-g. (2017). A Rumor Spreading Model Based on Information Entropy. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1-14. [DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-09171-8]
54. Wang, Q., Yang, X., & Xi, W. (2018). Effects of Group Arguments on Rumor Belief and Transmission in Online Communities: An Information Cascade and Group Polarization Perspective. Information & Management, 55(4), 441-449. [DOI:10.1016/j.im.2017.10.004]
55. Yang, L., Li, Z., & Giua, A. (2020). Containment of Rumor Spread in Complex Social Networks. Information Sciences, 506(1), 113-130. [DOI:10.1016/j.ins.2019.07.055]
56. Yao, E., Fang, R., Dineen, B. R., & Yao, X. (2009). Effects of Customer Feedback Level and (in) Consistency on New Product Acceptance in the Click-and-Mortar Context. Journal of Business Research, 62(12), 1281-1288. [DOI:10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.12.008]
57. Zhang, Y., & Xu, J. (2015). A Rumor Spreading Model Considering the Cumulative Effects of Memory. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 1-11. [DOI:10.1155/2015/348582]
58. Zhu, X., & Liu, F. (2017). Research on Behavior Model of Rumor Maker Based on System Dynamics. Complexity, 1-9. [DOI:10.1155/2017/5094218]

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.