Nature & Nurture #136: Dr. Steve Rathje - The Global Social Media Experiment

Steve Rathjay is a Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Social Identity and Morality Lab of New York University. He is an expert in the psychology of social media use and one of the leaders of the Global Social Media Experiment, an international collaboration examining the causal impact of social media usage in 76 countries around the world. Dr. Rathje received his PhD from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, and completed his undergraduate education in Psychology and Symbolic Systems at Stanford University. He has received numerous grants and awards for his research, and runs the science communication channel @stevepsychology with more than 1 million followers on TikTok. 00:07 Exploring Social Media's Impact on Political Polarization 02:15 The Paradox of Virality: Why Negative Content Spreads 10:17 Evolutionary Perspectives on Social Media Behavior 14:50 The Creator's Dilemma: Navigating Virality and Authenticity on TikTok 36:07 The Science of Clickbait: Understanding What Captivates Us 40:41 The Power of Podcasts: Fostering Connection in the Digital Age 42:39 Exploring Parasocial Relationships and Social Media Dynamics 46:06 The Impact of Negativity Bias and Climate Doomerism 51:46 Social Media's Role in Global Connectivity and Cultural Evolution 01:14:11 The Power of Inoculation Theory Against Misinformation 01:22:13 Navigating the Complex Landscape of Social Media Regulation 01:28:50 Concluding Thoughts on Social Media's Societal Impact