Steve Rathje
Social psychology researcher focused on the intersection of psychology, social media, and AI; a postdoctoral researcher at NYU and incoming assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon whose work studies virality, polarization, and AI sycophancy.
Best podcasts with Steve Rathje
Ranked by the Snipd community
26 snips
Feb 2, 2026 • 1h 1min
#113: Psychology in the Age of AI with Steve Rathje
Steve Rathje, a behavioral scientist studying how people interact with social media and AI, explains why online content goes viral and why agreeable chatbots can be dangerous. He discusses outgroup-driven sharing, high-arousal negativity, algorithmic amplification, and experiments showing AI flattery increases certainty and enjoyment. The conversation also explores historical roots, measurement of virality, and open questions about long-term AI effects.
13 snips
Jan 20, 2026 • 1h 16min
The Psychology of Virality in the Age of AI
Dr. Steve Rathje, a social psychology researcher and incoming assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon, dives deep into the psychology behind virality and social media. He discusses how posts targeting political outgroups often go viral, revealing the algorithmic bias towards outrage and conflict. Rathje shares promising research on reducing animosity through unfollowing hyper-partisan influencers. He also explores the implications of sycophantic AI chatbots and how they can inadvertently reinforce belief extremity.
