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Misinformation and media-literacy researcher Matthew Facciani joins us to discuss how he defines misinformation at a time when even the term itself is polarizing, why there’s so much misinformation about health and wellness in particular, how to navigate the current information landscape given the continued erosion of trust in institutions, and why people with certain ideologies are more likely to believe claims about “forbidden knowledge.” Behind the paywall, we get into how to avoid falling for misinformation (especially in an information environment that rewards outrage and extremism), how people’s social networks and identities affect their susceptibility to misinformation, why even very smart people fall for misinformation, and more.

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Matthew Facciani is a postdoctoral researcher at The University of Notre Dame in the Computer Science and Engineering Department and has a PhD in Sociology from The University of South Carolina. His research interests include media literacy, identities, social networks, political polarization, misinformation, and artificial intelligence. His forthcoming book, Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, how it spreads, and What to Do About It, will be published by Columbia University Press. Find him on Substack at Misguided: The Newsletter. 

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