SOC 103 Chapter Notes - Chapter 16: Critical Geography, Critical Management Studies, Narrative Inquiry
1 Feb 2014
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Rumours: in every social settings & every kind of news, medium to express political views, construct images of reality & show social solidarity. Shibutani, improvised news: a sociological study of rumor (1966): rumours travel through existing networks, basis for sociability. Info sometimes distorted but carries important social truths. Collectively achieve clarity through repeated interaction & discussion. Rumour formation is a problem-solving strategy that relies on pooling of resources. Rumours are improvised news: news imagined & created under conditions of hardship & confusion. In collective transaction, there are five roles to perform: messenger, interpreter, skeptic, protagonist & decision maker. Rumours collaboratively gain accuracy & provide more stability. People rarely transmit them serially or randomly, indiscriminately to strangers & friends alike, as allport & postman suggested. Rumours spreads within a network through series of interpersonal communications, until they eventually reach the outskirts of the communication network. Gradually, through deliberations, an overall story gains consistency & clarity.
