A Survey on Exploring Real and Virtual Social Network Rumors: State-of-the-Art and Research Challenges

This survey reviews the phenomenon of rumor propagation in social networks, defining rumors and their manifestations and highlighting the societal confusion, panic, and harm they cause. It explores the psychological, social, and technical factors contributing to rumors and their impact on reputation, panic, and decision-making. The review covers theoretical frameworks of rumor propagation, analyzing progressive and nonprogressive diffusion models in social networks. It also introduces the metaverse, discussing its impact on information spread and the new challenges it poses for rumor dissemination. Detection and intervention methods using AI, network analysis, and multimodal representation are highlighted, alongside policy and public education strategies. Additionally, the survey addresses challenges such as fake news, deepfakes, and the role of social bots and automated accounts. Future research directions are discussed, including the development of sophisticated detection algorithms, real-time monitoring, cross-platform and cross-cultural rumor detection, privacy protection, and automated coping mechanisms. The survey advocates for integrated strategies combining technological, social, and legal approaches to manage rumor propagation complexities and maintain information authenticity and social stability.