INTERVIEW: "How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive our Appetite for Misinformation" with Dannagal Young

Issue 88: An interview with Danna Young about her new book on misinformation and a peek into the Illuminations showcase in San Francisco

In today's political landscape, social identity wields unprecedented influence. Danna Young, a Professor of Communication and Political Science unravels this in her new book, Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive our Appetite for Misinformation. The book delves into political and media shifts, spotlighting the rise of political mega-identities and their impact on our beliefs and behaviors. Her previous book, Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the U.S. examines satire and outrage as the logical extensions of the respective psychological profiles of liberals and conservatives. Young's TED Talk on the psychology of political beliefs has been viewed nearly two million times.

Her new book explains how political leaders and media organizations capitalize on our social and cultural identities to separate, enrage, and—ultimately—mobilize us. Through a process of identity distillation encouraged by public officials, journalists, political and soci…