Matthew Facciani
@matthewfacciani.bsky.social
Social Scientist studying misinformation, media literacy, & AI.
Author of Misguided: https://amzn.to/48zTs59
https://matthewfacciani.substack.com
www.matthewfacciani.com
Author of Misguided: https://amzn.to/48zTs59
https://matthewfacciani.substack.com
www.matthewfacciani.com
Pinned
The First Copy of Misguided Arrived—Here’s What Comes Next
Preorders for my new book are live, events are coming, and I’m booking interviews.
matthewfacciani.substack.com
After five years of work, I finally held a copy of my book Misguided—a surreal moment and long-time dream come true. The book explores the psychology of misinformation and is now available for preorder; I’m also booking podcast interviews and talks to support the launch. #BookSky #Misguided
New study finds that down-ranking hostile political content in people’s social media feeds decreases political polarization.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reranking partisan animosity in algorithmic social media feeds alters affective polarization
Today, social media platforms hold the sole power to study the effects of feed-ranking algorithms. We developed a platform-independent method that reranks participants’ feeds in real time and used thi...
www.science.org
November 28, 2025 at 11:16 PM
New study finds that down-ranking hostile political content in people’s social media feeds decreases political polarization.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Here are some strategies that can help us all have more productive conversations this holiday season. Just in time for Thanksgiving dinner!
matthewfacciani.substack.com/p/how-to-hav...
matthewfacciani.substack.com/p/how-to-hav...
How to Have Better Holiday Conversations Across Divides: A Science-Backed Guide
We share five steps, grounded in social science, to help you have calmer, more productive conversations around the holiday table.
matthewfacciani.substack.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Here are some strategies that can help us all have more productive conversations this holiday season. Just in time for Thanksgiving dinner!
matthewfacciani.substack.com/p/how-to-hav...
matthewfacciani.substack.com/p/how-to-hav...
Happy Thanksgiving Bluesky friends! 🦃
November 27, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Happy Thanksgiving Bluesky friends! 🦃
The holidays bring joy, food, family... and sometimes tense conversations.
But social science gives us tools to make those moments calmer and more productive!
Here are the 5 R’s that can actually help you talk across differences this season:
🧵👇
But social science gives us tools to make those moments calmer and more productive!
Here are the 5 R’s that can actually help you talk across differences this season:
🧵👇
November 26, 2025 at 5:53 PM
The holidays bring joy, food, family... and sometimes tense conversations.
But social science gives us tools to make those moments calmer and more productive!
Here are the 5 R’s that can actually help you talk across differences this season:
🧵👇
But social science gives us tools to make those moments calmer and more productive!
Here are the 5 R’s that can actually help you talk across differences this season:
🧵👇
Concerns about unregulated AI and AI data centers are one of the few issues that have broad bipartisan support in 2025. It might be worthwhile to remember that if you find yourself stuck in a difficult political conversation this holiday season!
November 26, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Concerns about unregulated AI and AI data centers are one of the few issues that have broad bipartisan support in 2025. It might be worthwhile to remember that if you find yourself stuck in a difficult political conversation this holiday season!
Some political influencers will dismiss an inconvenient video by calling it a deepfake, and many of their followers believe them. Even if corrected later, far fewer people ever see that update. So now we face two problems: people weaponizing AI deepfakes, and weaponizing false claims of deepfakes.
November 26, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Some political influencers will dismiss an inconvenient video by calling it a deepfake, and many of their followers believe them. Even if corrected later, far fewer people ever see that update. So now we face two problems: people weaponizing AI deepfakes, and weaponizing false claims of deepfakes.
“It’s kind of ironic that there may now be a reverse process where other countries may start picking up talent which is currently in the U.S.”
The 'Mozart of Math' rarely speaks about politics. The wide-ranging cuts to science funding made him change that.
UCLA's Terence Tao called the Trump administration's actions an "existential threat" to academic research in the U.S.
www.nbcnews.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
“It’s kind of ironic that there may now be a reverse process where other countries may start picking up talent which is currently in the U.S.”
Renée DiResta explains how influencers, algorithms, and online crowds create self-contained “bespoke realities” that let people curate their own customized version of the world.
November 25, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Renée DiResta explains how influencers, algorithms, and online crowds create self-contained “bespoke realities” that let people curate their own customized version of the world.
New study finds that a one-week social media detox led to meaningful mental-health improvements, reducing anxiety by 16.1%, depression by 24.8%, and insomnia by 14.5%.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Social Media Detox and Youth Mental Health
This cohort study evaluates the outcomes of a 1-week social media detox intervention on behavior and mental health symptoms.
jamanetwork.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:40 PM
New study finds that a one-week social media detox led to meaningful mental-health improvements, reducing anxiety by 16.1%, depression by 24.8%, and insomnia by 14.5%.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Reposted by Matthew Facciani
Here's a peek at our lab's first #OSINT tool, an all-in-one URL search tool. Perfect for journalists & researchers looking to surface in-depth technical, historical, and contextual information on any new or unfamiliar website. If you are a journalist and would like early access, 📨 us. ETA Feb.2026.
November 24, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Here's a peek at our lab's first #OSINT tool, an all-in-one URL search tool. Perfect for journalists & researchers looking to surface in-depth technical, historical, and contextual information on any new or unfamiliar website. If you are a journalist and would like early access, 📨 us. ETA Feb.2026.
New episode of Misguided just launched with @noupside.bsky.social!
We discuss her path into social media research, how online groups shape belief, and why AI is shifting the information battle upstream, plus what institutions must do to rebuild trust.
We discuss her path into social media research, how online groups shape belief, and why AI is shifting the information battle upstream, plus what institutions must do to rebuild trust.
Bespoke Realities, Invisible Rulers, and the Battle for Truth
Renée DiResta joins me to discuss how online influence networks shape belief, who steers the information ecosystem, and why AI’s reference layer is becoming the next battleground for truth.
matthewfacciani.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:43 PM
New episode of Misguided just launched with @noupside.bsky.social!
We discuss her path into social media research, how online groups shape belief, and why AI is shifting the information battle upstream, plus what institutions must do to rebuild trust.
We discuss her path into social media research, how online groups shape belief, and why AI is shifting the information battle upstream, plus what institutions must do to rebuild trust.
Twitter/X's new location-revealing feature quickly exposed that many high-engagement, MAGA-branded accounts posing as patriotic Americans were actually operating overseas, in places like Eastern Europe, Thailand, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
X's new location transparency feature unleashes questions about origins of MAGA accounts
The function, which shows that a slew of MAGA-branded accounts are apparently based outside the U.S., also stirred speculative outrage over where the Department of Homeland Security account was create...
www.nbcnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Twitter/X's new location-revealing feature quickly exposed that many high-engagement, MAGA-branded accounts posing as patriotic Americans were actually operating overseas, in places like Eastern Europe, Thailand, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
A new paper shows how social media accelerates extremism by flooding users with emotionally charged, divisive content that algorithms naturally amplify, making extremist narratives far more visible, engaging, and persuasive than they would be otherwise.
November 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
A new paper shows how social media accelerates extremism by flooding users with emotionally charged, divisive content that algorithms naturally amplify, making extremist narratives far more visible, engaging, and persuasive than they would be otherwise.
Remember the online outrage over Cracker Barrel on Twitter? Research indicates much of it was amplified by bots. Fake accounts fueling outrage isn’t new, but most people don’t realize how often it happens.
gizmodo.com/cracker-barr...
gizmodo.com/cracker-barr...
Cracker Barrel Outrage Was Almost Certainly Driven by Bots, Researchers Say
Doesn't that make more sense than lots of people caring about Cracker Barrel?
gizmodo.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Remember the online outrage over Cracker Barrel on Twitter? Research indicates much of it was amplified by bots. Fake accounts fueling outrage isn’t new, but most people don’t realize how often it happens.
gizmodo.com/cracker-barr...
gizmodo.com/cracker-barr...
New poll finds just 18% of Americans "embrace" AI, with 49% saying they reject it.
November 24, 2025 at 3:06 PM
New poll finds just 18% of Americans "embrace" AI, with 49% saying they reject it.
DOGE is over, and there is no evidence that it saved the United States any money. The cuts to medical research and food for starving people were a tiny fraction of our federal spending, and any "savings" from that were wiped out by the chaos & moral depravity.
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
www.reuters.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:21 PM
DOGE is over, and there is no evidence that it saved the United States any money. The cuts to medical research and food for starving people were a tiny fraction of our federal spending, and any "savings" from that were wiped out by the chaos & moral depravity.
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
Study evaluates whether vaccine messages from pro athletes (using Tom Brady as the messenger) could shift public attitudes. They found almost no persuasive effect at all: political identity completely outweighed sports fandom, and even strong fans weren’t moved by athlete endorsements
Boosters and boosters: how sports fans and partisans react to athlete statements on vaccination
The highly polarized North American experience with COVID-19 often intertwined with sports, meaning that messages were filtered through differing social identities, political partisan and sports fa...
www.tandfonline.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Study evaluates whether vaccine messages from pro athletes (using Tom Brady as the messenger) could shift public attitudes. They found almost no persuasive effect at all: political identity completely outweighed sports fandom, and even strong fans weren’t moved by athlete endorsements
"In these fraught and uncertain times, rife with mistrust of expertise and reason, it is perhaps reassuring to know that science has found that dads find dad jokes funnier."
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
November 22, 2025 at 5:18 PM
"In these fraught and uncertain times, rife with mistrust of expertise and reason, it is perhaps reassuring to know that science has found that dads find dad jokes funnier."
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
"It restores everything that the executive order tried to take away: shared access to books in rural and remote areas, essential virtual learning tools, children's reading programs and the countless library services available to anyone who walks into a public, school or academic library."
Court permanently blocks Trump's executive order to dismantle federal agency for America's libraries
Press Release: Court permanently blocks Trump's executive order to dismantle federal agency for America's libraries. The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island struck down the Trump Adm...
librarytechnology.org
November 22, 2025 at 4:28 PM
"It restores everything that the executive order tried to take away: shared access to books in rural and remote areas, essential virtual learning tools, children's reading programs and the countless library services available to anyone who walks into a public, school or academic library."
New research shows that asking “how” questions can boost curiosity and reduce polarization. It’s another piece of evidence supporting what I wrote in my book about the power of “how” questions to foster more productive dialogue.
toddkashdan.substack.com/p/a-curiosit...
toddkashdan.substack.com/p/a-curiosit...
A curiosity intervention to increase open-mindedness and reduce political polarization
The Washington Post details research from our new curiosity intervention
toddkashdan.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:26 PM
New research shows that asking “how” questions can boost curiosity and reduce polarization. It’s another piece of evidence supporting what I wrote in my book about the power of “how” questions to foster more productive dialogue.
toddkashdan.substack.com/p/a-curiosit...
toddkashdan.substack.com/p/a-curiosit...
There’s a lot of political commentary about Marjorie Taylor Greene resigning, but one important point is this: she entered Congress in 2021 with an estimated net worth of about $700,000, and is leaving in 2025 with a net worth of roughly $25 million.
November 22, 2025 at 4:19 PM
There’s a lot of political commentary about Marjorie Taylor Greene resigning, but one important point is this: she entered Congress in 2021 with an estimated net worth of about $700,000, and is leaving in 2025 with a net worth of roughly $25 million.
My book just got its first Goodreads review. I’m so glad readers are finding it accessible! My goal was to simply explain the social science of why we’re vulnerable to misinformation, and what we can do about it.
November 22, 2025 at 12:18 AM
My book just got its first Goodreads review. I’m so glad readers are finding it accessible! My goal was to simply explain the social science of why we’re vulnerable to misinformation, and what we can do about it.
Very excited to share that I’ve joined the Georgetown–Lancet Commission on Faith, Trust, and Health as a researcher! I’m looking forward to contributing to this global effort to better understand faith–health partnerships and strengthen trust in health services worldwide.
faithhealthcommission.org
faithhealthcommission.org
Home - Georgetown-Lancet Commission on Faith, Trust and Health
The Georgetown–Lancet Commission on Faith, Trust, and Health is a global, multidisciplinary initiative that reimagines the role of faith-health partnerships to strengthen trust in health services acro...
faithhealthcommission.org
November 21, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Very excited to share that I’ve joined the Georgetown–Lancet Commission on Faith, Trust, and Health as a researcher! I’m looking forward to contributing to this global effort to better understand faith–health partnerships and strengthen trust in health services worldwide.
faithhealthcommission.org
faithhealthcommission.org
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, has repeatedly produced over-the-top praise for Musk—at one point even claiming he’s more athletic than LeBron James.
November 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, has repeatedly produced over-the-top praise for Musk—at one point even claiming he’s more athletic than LeBron James.
I always laugh when someone calls me a ‘paid shill’ for mentioning the scientific consensus on vaccines. If I really wanted to make money, I’d target people’s biases with sensational, polarizing content—the stuff that spreads fast, builds big followings, and turns outrage into revenue.
November 20, 2025 at 9:50 PM
I always laugh when someone calls me a ‘paid shill’ for mentioning the scientific consensus on vaccines. If I really wanted to make money, I’d target people’s biases with sensational, polarizing content—the stuff that spreads fast, builds big followings, and turns outrage into revenue.