BY DR MASIMBA MAVAZA
Harare, Zimbabwe (News Of The South) – In the past weeks Zimbabwe has received rumours of coup and a pending coup.
Chiwenga has been placed in the fore front of the coup plotters. Is this true or is it a figment of imagination?.
Zimbabwe has received rumours of strikes stay aways and many things followed by a form of reaction. Was the reaction proof of disturbances or simply national unity We have comrades who have been arrested and they are in prison their crimes are based on rumours. Politics has changed. Citizens once passively received mass media news. Today, in the age of social media, citizens are actively engaged in crafting and spreading stories to others.
As consequence, rumors, difficult-to-verify information, abound in politics. It is not only the masses who are lost in the thickest of rumours. The intelligence briefings are determined by rumours. The country is now ruled by rumour mongers.
Zimbabwe is a country awash with rumour. The rumour mill is working twenty four seven. Surprisingly often, these rumours share similarities to conspiracy theories and portray opposing groups as “evil”. In Zimbabwe military organizations are broadcasted on social media as planning a coup against ED, pro Mugabe politicians as collaborationists and the rightwing as secretly planning to dismantle the current government. In the age of social media, the spread of political rumors is fast, impactful and, hence, crucial to understand.
Why are people susceptible to political rumors, how do they affect political trust, and when can their potential harmful effects be remedied? Zimbabwe needs to build a novel theory of the social functions of political rumors and develop innovative experimental methods that mimics the reception and spread of information on social media. As a country Zimbabwe risks to plunge into serious abyss by rumours. To facilitate broad impact, Zimbabwe must provide operational advice to society on how to hinder the spread of false rumors. Even our leaders are relying on rumour machine at the expense of credible intelligence.
As breaking news unfolds people increasingly rely on social media to stay abreast of the latest updates. The use of social media in such situations comes with the caveat that new information being released piecemeal may encourage rumours, many of which remain unverified long after their point of release. Little is known, however, about the dynamics of the life cycle of a social media rumour.
We need to analyse understand how users spread, support, or deny rumours that are later proven true or false, by distinguishing two levels of status in a rumour life cycle The identification of rumours associated with each event, as well as the tweet that resolved each rumour as true or false, was performed by journalist members of the research team who tracked the events in real time.
Whilst one can readily see users denying rumours once they have been debunked, users appear to be less capable of distinguishing true from false rumours when their veracity remains in question. In fact, we show that the prevalent tendency for users is to support every unverified rumour. It is also depressing that highly reputable users such as news organisations do not endeavour to post well-grounded statements, which appear to be certain and accompanied by evidence. Nevertheless, these often prove to be unverified pieces of information that give rise to false rumours. We should reinforce the need for developing robust machine learning techniques that can provide assistance in real time for assessing the veracity of rumours. The ministry of information must provide useful insights for achieving this aim.
Zimbabwe at any level is now operating on rumours. The president is being fed with lies by those who pretend to love him.
The strength of security organisations is being shaken by the rumour mongers who are roaming around the corridors of power. If the authorities do not take strong action in this aspect they will be crushed to dust by the rumour paddlers.
The president has been fed with a lot of speculative information which has brought the inner insecurity and has set tongues wagging.
This has made Zimbabwe a politically speculative nation. Speculation is the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.” There has been widespread speculation that the VP wants to topple the government. This speculation is given credence by senior officials who comment on lies. Speculation is spread by the way you react to it.
Politically Zimbabwe is being divided by speculation. Gossip exposes your weaknesses as you will act without thinking.
Today a major challenge to ED’s rule has emerged in the form of speculative realism.
RUMOUR is normally depicted as speculation as the irrational investment in insubstantial signs. It develops the point through an analysis that foregrounds the pragmatically constitutive logic of speculative fictions and expectations and the plastic logic of value.
Rumour has created distrusted intelligence outfit, it has created suspicions between security organisations. It has created enmity between workers and friends. The ministers hold grudge based in rumour and speculation.
Those who are hard workers are being sidelined or viewed in serious suspicions because of the rumours making rounds.
Rumours have cost Zimbabwe millions of dollars.
The enemy of state has noticed how gullible the system in Zimbabwe is. In this aspect rumours have been spread all over and people have believed the rumours.
Each and every week there is a rumour about a stay away. This rumour created anxiety and caused pandemonium and anarchy in the industry as people are scared to go to work.
People who spread rumours are more than witches as their work has far reaching consequences. The party is divided on rumours. There are senior party members whose positions are saved by the rumours speculations and lies they spread around.
Speculation must come to an end and Zimbabwe must rise beyond speculation.
Those who build their faith and hope on rumour they still have to learn.
Our authorities must never punish a cadre because of the rumour spread by rumour machines. Because of Gossip ZANU PF. Has been reduced to a mere kraal meeting. We have a country to run.
Vazet 2000@yahoo.co.uk
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