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Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-280) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
To rumor is human -- Swimming in rumors : the prevalence and power of hearsay -- It's clear that it's unclear : how rumors help us make sense of an uncertain world -- A family resemblance : gossip and urban legend, rumor's close cousins -- It's a small world around the watercooler : how, why, and where of rumor spread -- Believe it, or not : why we believe some rumors and not others -- Facts are stubborn things : taking stock of the word on the street -- Managing the rumor mill -- Epilogue: Doing rumor well.
Summary, etc.:
Shows that the process that gives rise to national rumors is fundamentally the same as those that arise around the company watercooler. Why do some rumors persist even in the fact of well-publicized facts to the contrary? Why do we pass on information without verifying that it's true?