How misguided beliefs are formed: Interview + book giveaway with Matthew Facciani

Issue 173: Matthew Facciani shares actionable tips for dealing with misinformation + enter to win a free copy of his new book

Since 2020, the number of people who regularly get their news from social media has risen—particularly for TikTok and Instagram. While these platforms offer convenience and rapid, bite-sized updates, they also breed rampant misinformation that’s hard to detect and even harder to stop.

Understanding why we believe certain stories—and how misinformation spreads—is essential. In Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How It Spreads, and What to Do About It, social scientist Matthew Facciani shows how to combat harmful falsehoods at scale. As a postdoctoral researcher in Notre Dame’s Computer Science and Engineering Department, he investigates the psychological and social forces that shape our information habits.

Beyond fact-checking, Matthew reveals how identity, trust, community, and emotion determine what we accept as “truth.” In our interview below, he explains how to engage someone who’s bought into false claims: approach with genuine curiosity rather than trying to prove them wrong.

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