How do rumors form across social networks? We use a human-computer-based experimental framework to study this question. Our results show how much communication and what network topologies are needed for rumors to grow.
We describe a computer system that we use to study how rumor development is affected by various social networks. The system is kind of like AOL's Instant Messaging service, except that who one may talk to and how much may be said is highly controlled. It was developed on a shoestring, with only one student programmer working at a time, yet it has been robust enough to conduct over 50 experiments so far in three locations around the world, and is still being used. We will discuss some of the questions these experiments were designed to answer, demonstrate the system, and highlight some the milestones in its lifecycle.