To Rumor is Human

'Our journey together on this earth is characterised to one degree or another by uncertainty. We see only in part, not the whole. Rumor-shared sensemaking- is one element of our collective response to this component of the human condition. Indeed, rumor is the people's shared sensemaking activity par excellence. It attends all of life's activities. It has been around for as long as humans have lived with uncertainty. It reflects the fundamentally social and sense-making character of the human race. Rumor activity therefore represents something basic, central, and significant about who we are.'

- Nicholas DoFonzo, 'The Watercooler Effect'.