Charan Ranganath

Then that becomes part of your story of what happened. Because once you and I share a memory... Like I tell you about something I've experienced and you tell me about your experience of the same event. It's no longer your memory or my memory. It's our memory. And so now the misinformation spreads.

And the more you trust someone or the more powerful that person is, the more of a voice they have in shaping that narrative. Right. And there's all sorts of interesting ways in which misinformation can happen. There's a great example of when John McCain and George Bush Jr.

And the more you trust someone or the more powerful that person is, the more of a voice they have in shaping that narrative. Right. And there's all sorts of interesting ways in which misinformation can happen. There's a great example of when John McCain and George Bush Jr.

And the more you trust someone or the more powerful that person is, the more of a voice they have in shaping that narrative. Right. And there's all sorts of interesting ways in which misinformation can happen. There's a great example of when John McCain and George Bush Jr.

were in a primary, and there were these polls where they would do these—I guess they were not robocalls but real calls—where they would poll voters. But they actually inserted some misinformation about McCain's beliefs on taxation, I think, and maybe it was something about illegitimate children. I don't really remember.

were in a primary, and there were these polls where they would do these—I guess they were not robocalls but real calls—where they would poll voters. But they actually inserted some misinformation about McCain's beliefs on taxation, I think, and maybe it was something about illegitimate children. I don't really remember.

were in a primary, and there were these polls where they would do these—I guess they were not robocalls but real calls—where they would poll voters. But they actually inserted some misinformation about McCain's beliefs on taxation, I think, and maybe it was something about illegitimate children. I don't really remember.

But they included misinformation in the question that they asked, like, how do you feel about the fact that he wants to do this or something? And so people would end up becoming convinced he had these policy things or these personal things that were not true, just based on the polls that were being used.

But they included misinformation in the question that they asked, like, how do you feel about the fact that he wants to do this or something? And so people would end up becoming convinced he had these policy things or these personal things that were not true, just based on the polls that were being used.

But they included misinformation in the question that they asked, like, how do you feel about the fact that he wants to do this or something? And so people would end up becoming convinced he had these policy things or these personal things that were not true, just based on the polls that were being used.

So it was a case where, interestingly enough, the people who were using misinformation were actually ahead of the curve relative to the scientists who were trying to study these effects in memory.

So it was a case where, interestingly enough, the people who were using misinformation were actually ahead of the curve relative to the scientists who were trying to study these effects in memory.

So it was a case where, interestingly enough, the people who were using misinformation were actually ahead of the curve relative to the scientists who were trying to study these effects in memory.

Yeah, I mean, there's so much in what you're saying. I mean, one of the things is that people's sense of collective identity is very much tied to shared memories. If we have a shared narrative of the past, or even better, if we have a shared past, we will feel more socially connected with each other, and I will feel part of this group. They're part of my tribe if I remember the same things.

Yeah, I mean, there's so much in what you're saying. I mean, one of the things is that people's sense of collective identity is very much tied to shared memories. If we have a shared narrative of the past, or even better, if we have a shared past, we will feel more socially connected with each other, and I will feel part of this group. They're part of my tribe if I remember the same things.

Yeah, I mean, there's so much in what you're saying. I mean, one of the things is that people's sense of collective identity is very much tied to shared memories. If we have a shared narrative of the past, or even better, if we have a shared past, we will feel more socially connected with each other, and I will feel part of this group. They're part of my tribe if I remember the same things.

in the same way. And you brought up this weaponization of history. And it really speaks to, I think, one of the parts of memory, which is that if you have a belief and you have a goal in mind, you will find stuff in memory that aligns with it, and you won't see the parts in memory that don't. So a lot of the stories we put together are based on our perspectives.

in the same way. And you brought up this weaponization of history. And it really speaks to, I think, one of the parts of memory, which is that if you have a belief and you have a goal in mind, you will find stuff in memory that aligns with it, and you won't see the parts in memory that don't. So a lot of the stories we put together are based on our perspectives.

in the same way. And you brought up this weaponization of history. And it really speaks to, I think, one of the parts of memory, which is that if you have a belief and you have a goal in mind, you will find stuff in memory that aligns with it, and you won't see the parts in memory that don't. So a lot of the stories we put together are based on our perspectives.

And so let's just zoom out for the moment from misinformation, take something even more fascinating, but not as scary. I was reading Thanh Viet Nguyen, but he wrote a book about the collective memory of the Vietnam War. He's a Vietnamese immigrant who was flown out after the war was over. And so he went back to his family to get their stories about the war.