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Shocked Businesswoman with Phone
Have you ever been the victim of an unfounded rumor or slanderous gossip? Many of us have, and the number who can claim this unhappy distinction is growing rapidly. Social media, in particular, has become an increasingly destructive platform for character assassination, rumor mongering, cyberbullying and personal vendettas.
“Disinformation,” as slander is antiseptically labeled, has been the subject of much psychological research. Unfortunately, studies tell us that if we have been unjustly maligned by lies and innuendo and seek to undo the resulting social damage, we face an uphill battle.
Consider a highly visible case in point. Early in his first term, a contrived and unfounded rumor began circulating on the Internet claiming that Barack Obama was Muslim. When this abject lie first hit cyberspace through chain emails, only about 8% of Americans bought it. But in a relatively short span of time and after repeated denials by Obama, over 13% of Americans believed it was true. What gives?
Don’t Deny?
Researchers point out that when we deny a bogus rumor, we actually increase the odds it will spread and become believable to more people. So, if you realize that someone is soiling your reputation with an outright lie, and you openly deny it, the falsehood will actually appear more credible. There are several reasons for this.
One is a peculiarity in how our brains process information. When someone says, “I did not do X,” our minds tend to focus on and remember the “X” while marginalizing or excluding the “not” or other negation. It’s easier for our psyches to grasp something that is rather than something that is not.
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It’s sort of like saying to a toddler, “Don’t run out in the street.” Sometimes, the tike hears, “run out in the street” but blanks out on the “don’t.” Our brains tend to amplify instructional terms (what to do) rather than prohibitive ones (what not to do).
Fabrication Factor
Another reason we bypass truth in favor of fabrication is when we have a strong emotional motivation for doing so. If we dislike a person or have a vested interest in seeing them fail, often, we won’t afford them the benefit of the doubt, facts notwithstanding.
Finally, some of us embrace rumors and gossip as a way of gaining social acceptance. If we uphold a falsehood that is popular with a particular group, it can be a ticket for entry to their inner circle. Today, this is rampant in the realm of politics. People embrace outright lies and wild conspiracy theories in order belong to a group of like-minded people. It’s called tribalism.
So, if you are the target of a disinformation campaign, what should you do? If you don’t deny the rumor, many will assume it’s true. If you do deny it, many or perhaps even more will still assume it’s true—the proverbial Catch-22.
Firm and True
The best path appears to be what Mahatma Gandhi called “firmness in truth.” This involves clearly and briefly stating what is true, rather than denying what is false. This is also called an “affirmative defense.”
So, in Obama’s case, the approach would be, “I am a Christian,” rather than “I am not a Muslim.” And it should be as straightforward and brief as that. Denials, particularly repetitious and lengthy ones, only pour gas on the defamatory fire of rumors and gossip. To borrow and paraphrase from Shakespeare, this is the “Methinks thou doth protest too much” phenomenon.
In contrast, truths, confidently and succinctly spoken, help douse these hurtful flames. So, don’t bother denying a malicious rumor. Instead, affirm the truth it seeks to distort or obscure.
This approach not only makes you more believable, but it also ticks off and disarms your detractors.
