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People in social networks

Rumours / Social Contagion

Watch a rumour spread through a social network. Some people repeat it, some ignore it, and some alter it, so the pattern is both transmission and mutation.

Watch a claim move through a network

Watch an abstract rumour pass between connected people. Trust, novelty, repeated exposure, and skepticism shape whether each person ignores it, hears it, repeats it, or changes it.

Rumours vs memes: Rumours model whether a claim spreads through a network. Memes go further: they are copied, mutated, remixed, selected, and sometimes forgotten.

What to watch: warm pulses carry retellings along links, blue nodes resist, and purple nodes mark altered versions that emerge as the rumour is repeated.

  • A rumour does not spread only because it is true; it spreads when it is repeatable, salient, or socially useful.
  • Trust links matter: the same claim can travel differently depending on who carries it.
  • Repeated exposure can amplify confidence even when the content is uncertain.
  • As the message moves, details may be simplified, exaggerated, or adapted for the next audience.