Mechanism of Formation and Propagation of Internet Rumors from the Perspective of Social Psychology

Rumor is a typical social public opinion phenomenon. With the advent of the internet era, the intensity and breadth of internet rumors have increased, resulting in more profound and prominent impacts on society. Current research on internet rumors mainly involves theoretical analysis, but lacks a clear, common theoretical perspective. The social psychology communication perspective is precisely the perspective that studies how social information is disseminated, how individuals and groups in society perceive information dissemination, and how individuals and groups in society respond to information dissemination. This study argues that the social psychology communication perspective is an important theoretical perspective for analyzing the phenomenon of internet rumors. This study suggests that mechanisms such as diffusion of responsibility, cognitive closure, thinking patterns, self-serving bias, and emotional contagion contribute to the continuous generation and rapid spread of internet rumors. This paper also proposes countermeasures and suggestions for governing internet rumors from the perspectives of multiple social entities such as media and regulatory agencies.