The library will be closed Sunday, March 31st, for Easter

Memorial Hall Library

Once We Are Down the Rabbit Hole, Why We Choose to Stay There

Society is inundated with misinformation – some of it presenting as more authentic than others. It is not surprising that we are susceptible to this misinformation. Yet, what is more surprising is that once debunked, we struggle to accept accurate information and prefer to stay down the proverbial rabbit hole. Pulling from research on self-deception, Professor Andrew Tollison will focus on how and why we rationalize and justify our beliefs in such misinformation along with the consequences of being unwilling to accept truths. The purpose of this talk is to continue the conversation started by Dr. Zimdars on fake news.

Andrew Tollison (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin) is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director within the Department of Communication & Media at Merrimack College. Dr. Tollison has been at Merrimack since 2012 and teaches courses in Lying & Deception, Food as Communication, Conflict Management, Advocacy, and Research Methods. In addition to being in the classroom, Dr. Tollison’s research has appeared in top-tier academic journals, and he has extensive experience working as a communication consultant for start-ups and entrepreneurs, focusing on how to communicate with impact. His experience with Lying & Deception will serve as the foundation for this talk and participation in the series. This program was hosted by Memorial Hall Library in collaboration with Tewksbury Public Library.