Most rumors start out as simple gossip. Typically, a rumor does not begin with malicious intent, but instead as a form of speculation. Many people will make blanket statements about what they think has occurred in a given situation. This is then passed on. "Stacy thinks that Roger will get the job." Although Stacy likely has no authority on the situation and her statement was made in speculation alone, the rumor mill has started, and before long, it is well known that Roger is getting the job whether he has applied for the position or not.
Power in Numbers
Sociologist Duncan Watts warns that status and authority have no impact on the way a rumor spreads. As long as someone is willing to pass along information, even if they are not well-respected, they will be successful in spreading a rumor. There are plenty of gullible people who will eat up any rumor that appeals to their biases, knocks a person of authority down a notch or answers a question they have been pondering. Therefore, one person can sway many. Ultimately, the more people believing the rumor leads to the more people spreading it.
Repetition
Psychology professor Nick DiFonzo places a large emphasis on the repetition of rumors. The more often people hear a certain rumor, the more likely they will believe it and the more likely they are to spread it. This is found frequently with widespread rumors. When a rumor attaches itself to a politician or celebrity, it may be seen as garbage the first time people encounter it. As they hear it repeated on blogs, in gossip magazines and by their friends, they begin to view it as fact, and thus they feel no guilt in retelling it, and thus spreading it.
