Steve Rathje
Postdoctoral Fellow & Incoming Assistant Professor
New York University
About Me
Steve Rathje is an incoming Assistant Professor of Human Computer Interaction in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Currently, he is completing an NSF postdoctoral fellowship at New York University. He received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar and received a BA in Psychology from Stanford University. Steve's research focuses on how digital technologies (such as social media and AI) shape polarization, conflict, and the spread of misinformation. Steve is also a science communicator with over 1 million followers on TikTok (@stevepsychology). Steve was included on the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and was named a “Rising Star” by the American Psychological Association. He has published 37 academic papers in top academic journals such as Science and PNAS, and has received more than $2.6 million in grant funding for his research.
Hear My Insights
The New Information Gods: From Fact-Checking to Reality-Checking
The information landscape is undergoing a seismic shift. Declining trust in traditional media, fragmented sources, and weakened social platform moderation have created fertile ground for misinformation. In this era, discerning truth from fiction is more critical than ever. As traditional gatekeepers falter, the burden of critical evaluation shifts to individuals. How can we navigate this information war, what new tools and skills are needed and what role does AI play in both the problem and the solution?