Author: Zhu Rui (Cheung Kong Graduate School, Professor of Marketing, Director of the Center for Social Innovation and Business goodness), Tong Luqiong (Beijing Normal University Department of Business Administration , Associate Professor)
The Spring Festival in 2020 is extraordinary. I believe that many people are constantly swiping various kinds of information about new coronavirus pneumonia on their mobile phones every day. The more they look, the more anxious and the more nervous they see, but they can’t help it again Refreshing again and again, it is even worse every day that it is difficult to focus on other things, and the quality of sleep decreases. If you encounter such a situation, you may ask yourself: “Am I defeated by rumors today? ? “
To answer this question, first of all, please take a look at the screenshot of the webpage below (from Tencent’s “seeking truth” channel) :
Are many of the information in it seem familiar? Have these messages brought you special emotions, such as anxiety, anger, excitement, and anxiety? But do you realize that there may be a lot of information here that is unsubstantiated rumors.
This article wants to share with you: 1. What kind of information will be spread faster? 2. The consequences of widespread rumors; 3. What we can do without being defeated by rumors.
What kind of information gets spread faster?
Two business school professors at the University of Pennsylvania have analyzed the circulation of all articles in the New York Times in the past 3 months, and found that the highest circulation is the information that will give people high-intensity emotional responses, such as letting Information that a person is angry, anxious or excited. Because this kind of information brings moreLarge talks are more likely to trigger people’s discussions and actions, so people are more interested in these and are more willing to spread them.
Most of the rumor information has become popular just because it has the characteristic of triggering a high-intensity emotional response. In the special environment of the epidemic, these inherently more disseminated messages cater to people’s anxiety and are easier to spread on a large scale, while concealing those true, objective, and calm messages, which brings great emotions to people. pressure. Therefore, the first element to defeating rumors is that you need to realize that a lot of the information around you is popular not because they are real, but because they cause strong emotions.
In addition to the emotional content of the rumor itself, the current media for people’s access to information has even worsened its spread. A survey of more than 10,000 netizens by the Center for Social Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences from January 24th to 25th shows that the majority of people understand the epidemic-related information through social media such as WeChat and Weibo .
But people may not realize that while these social media provide us with convenience, they also increase the power of rumors to a certain extent. According to a 2017 study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in the social media environment, because people think that others will discern the authenticity of information, and because of trust in others, it will be easier to spread on social media. The information is received and disseminated without hesitation, rather than discerning its authenticity through independent thinking. This unthinking acceptance and trust will make the rumors more unblocked, and they will have a greater impact on society. But this research also shows through experiments that once the people are reminded of the need to make independent judgments on the information, the negative effects of rumors will be greatly reduced. Therefore, the second weapon to defeat rumors is to get rid of the influence of social media and start your own independent thinking.
Consequences of widespread rumors
Apart from the huge emotional pressure that rumors will bring to people, they will also make us make irrational judgments about the status quo and make unwise behaviors. When you heard that Professor Zhong Nanshan was also infected with pneumonia, when you heard rumors of various diseases around you, did you suddenly feel that everyone around you was dangerous, and you felt that you might be hit with a little cough and dizziness, Need to go to the hospital for a diagnosis?
From a psychological perspective, this is actually Availability Bias (Availability Bias) and Saliency Thinking (Saliency Effect) affects your judgment. Availability bias refers to the fact that people are easily affected by the information that they see and hear more easily, and ignore other information.
For example, because air accidents are more exposed in the media, it ’s easier to get the impression that airplanes are the most dangerous means of transportation, ignoring that trains and automobile traffic actually have higher risk factors. And saliency thinking means that if the probability of something is low, but once a significant impact occurs, people usually overestimate its probability.
Specifically, in the context of the epidemic, the overwhelming disease information makes the new coronavirus pneumonia very prominent and is familiar to everyone. You will inadvertently enlarge its probability of occurrence. It seems that the virus is permeated in the air and is always in In danger. But in fact you calm down and look at the data carefully, you will find that if you take normal protection, try to avoid a crowded environment, the probability of infection is not so high, and the proportion of illnesses and deaths is not as scary as you think. . This deviation in thinking brings you a lot of unnecessary annoyance. Therefore, when you are panicking because of all kinds of information, you might as well ask yourself, have I enlarged the probability of the disease too much?
These psychological phenomena can also explain why some people are biased against people from Wuhan and other places in Hubei. The necessary caution is certainly needed, but at the same time, don’t lose respect and tenderness towards others because of the outbreak.
What can we do without being defeated by rumors
First, take care of yourself, wear a mask, and avoid going to crowds. No additional burden on society and hospitals;
Second, pay attention to the news objectively and calmly. Do not trust rumors, follow up with authoritative media, and think independently;
Third, help others as much as you can. Rather than worry, spend energy on helping others.
At the time of writing this article, I was also in close contact with the alumni of the Hubei Alumni Association of Changjiang Business School. They are on the frontline of the epidemic. They should have been our helpers, but many alumni are paying more attention to how to integrate and mobilize more resources to effectively cooperate with the government and relieve hospitals and medical staff., The real needs of patients! Su Yi, the secretary-general of the local alumni association, docked countless messages every day, and fought continuously with many alumni and caring people. He accidentally mentioned in a group chat, “Every day I go to bed at about two o’clock, and the day ends.”
To pay tribute to such people, and hope that you and I will not be defeated by rumors.