The Role of Social Media in the Spread of Rumors in Society "A Sociological Study on a Sample of Students from the Department of Sociology at Latakia University"

Abstract

A rumor is information or news from an unknown source regarding a topic, it aim to influencing the opinions and decisions of a specific group, such as relieving pressure and tension, or spreading hope and optimism among members of a community. It is also used to achieve other goals such as camouflage, evasion, concealing facts, and misleading public opinion. In addition, it is used as a means to destabilize the security, social, and economic stability of a society, such as stirring up strife or sectarian strife within it. Therefore, it is not only one of the oldest media outlets Rather, it is one of the most dangerous, especially with the emergence of various social media and their spread among members of society, which has led to many diverse effects that members of society may suffer from for long periods. Here, we must point out the role of these media in spreading rumors, and point out their diverse effects.

Therefore, we conducted a sociological study on a random sample of students, The study concluded with several findings, the most important of which were: The role of social media in spreading rumors in society from the perspective of university youth was high.