Curriculum
Walter Quattrociocchi is a Professor at the Sapienza University of Rome, leading the Center of Data Science and Complexity for Society (CDCS).
His research interests include data science, network science, cognitive science, and data-driven modeling of dynamic processes in complex networks. His activity focuses on the data-driven modeling of social dynamics such as (mis)information spreading and the emergence of collective phenomena.
Professor Quattrociocchi coordinated some of the foundational works about information spreading and social dynamics.
Professor Quattrociocchi has published extensively in high-quality peer-reviewed conferences and journals, including PNAS. His research on misinformation spreading has informed the Global Risk Report 2016 and 2017 of the World Economic Forum and has been extensively covered by international media, including Scientific American, New Scientist, The Economist, The Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Fortune, Poynter, and The Atlantic. He has published two books: “Misinformation. Guida alla società dell’informazione e della credulità” (Franco Angeli) and “Liberi di Crederci. Informazione, Internet e Post Verità” with Codice Edizioni for the dissemination of his results.
In 2017 Professor Quattrociocchi was the coordinator of the round table on Fake News and the role of Universities and Research to contrast fake news chaired by the President of Italy's Chamber of Deputies, Mrs. Laura Boldrini.
In 2018 he was Scientific Advisor of the Italian Communication Authority (AGCOM) and, in 2020, a Member of the Task Force to contrast Hate Speech nominated by the Minister of Innovation. Since 2021 he is a Principal Investigator in the IRIS research coalition (UK/G7) to contrast misinformation about vaccine hesitancy and climate change (Partners are Cambridge, Harvard, London School of Medicine, City University London).
Professor Quattrociocchi is regularly invited for keynote speeches and guest lectures at major academic and other organizations.
He is currently serving as Academic Editor in ACM Transactions on The Web, Nature Scientific Reports
Articles and Activities
Le Scienze: "Infodemia: una nuova sfida per la salute pubblica" di Walter Quattrociocchi e Matteo Cinelli. https://www.lescienze.it/plus/edicola/edicola.jsp
Nature: "The epic battle against coronavirus misinformation and conspiracy theories". https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01452-z
Corriere della Sera: "G7 L'italiano che combatte l'esitazione vaccinale". https://www.corriere.it/esteri/21_giugno_02/g7-l-italiano-che-lotta-contro-l-infodemia-vaccini-combattiamo-fake-news-ma-problema-altro-c107c882-c3b3-11eb-9651-e9e5e7dd2e3d.shtml
RaiNews: "Societa tra Complessità e Entropia Informativa". https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/02/societ-tra-complessit-ed-entropia-informativa-8e29313c-726e-4322-990b-64bc3defc39d.html
Repubblica: "Quattrociocchi: "Facebook favorisce l'odio, ma non è un complotto". https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2021/10/30/news/quattrociocchi_facebook_favorisce_l_odio_ma_non_e_un_complotto_e_la_legge_della_pubblicita_-324299493/
Sette - Corriere della sera. Intervista a Walter Quattrociocchi. http://vittoriozincone.it/2017/03/24/walter-quattrociocchi-sette-marzo-2017/
Ars Technica: The social media "echo-chamber" is real. https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/03/the-social-media-echo-chamber-is-real/
Economist: Bubble trouble: how internet echo chambers disrupt society http://shapingthefuture.economist.com/bubble-trouble-internet-echo-chambers-disrupt-society/
Bloomberg: How Facebook makes us dumber https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-01-08/how-facebook-makes-us-dumber
Washington Post: Confirmed: Echo chambers exist on social media. So what do we do about them? https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2016/07/14/confirmed-echo-chambers-exist-on-social-media-but-what-can-we-do-about-them/?utm_term=.af301645181a
New York Times: How the Internet Is Loosening Our Grip on the Truth https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/technology/how-the-internet-is-loosening-our-grip-on-the-truth.html?_r=0
Washington Post: What was fake on the Internet this week: Why this is the final column https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/12/18/what-was-fake-on-the-internet-this-week-why-this-is-the-final-column/?utm_term=.c92f4d480f7f
Washington post: Facebook has repeatedly trended fake news since firing its human editors https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/10/12/facebook-has-repeatedly-trended-fake-news-since-firing-its-human-editors/?utm_term=.c7a060803531
Washington post: Here’s how scientific misinformation, such as climate doubt, spreads through social media https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/01/04/heres-how-scientific-misinformation-such-as-climate-doubt-spreads-through-social-media/?utm_term=.7baef765fe82
Washington Post: Why your Facebook News Feed is full of conspiracy theories https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/04/23/why-your-facebook-news-feed-is-full-of-conspiracy-theories/?utm_term=.92c01a71e445
Fortune: Here’s Why Stamping Out Fake News Is a Lot Harder Than You Think http://fortune.com/2016/11/17/fake-news-problem/
The Atlantic: How to Start a Conspiracy Theory on Facebook https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/03/how-to-start-a-conspiracy-theory-on-facebook/284511/
La Stampa: Ufo, ET, sbarco sulla Luna: la scienza di costruire bufale (e di smontarle) http://www.lastampa.it/2017/01/30/scienza/il-cielo/ufo-et-sbarco-sulla-luna-la-scienza-di-costruire-bufale-e-di-smontarle-FUSBOtqP0qwkRDUeiIDHqM/pagina.html
Le Scienze: La disinformazione corre sui social http://www.lescienze.it/news/2016/01/05/news/diffusione_voci_disinformazione_facebook_social_media-2919669/
Repubblica: Come ti costruisco una bufala sul web https://inchieste.repubblica.it/it/repubblica/rep-it/2015/01/08/news/come_ti_vendo_una_bufala_sul_web-103114905/
Corriere della sera: Così i social hanno condizionato la campagna elettorale http://www.corriere.it/tecnologia/social/16_novembre_10/cosi-social-network-hanno-condizionato-campagna-elettorale-trump-clinton-e500c26c-a710-11e6-8208-49eea13f646a.shtml
TEDx Milano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edFICvqdb4w
Le cattive notizie girano di più di quelle buone, ma anche no. Con Marco Montemagno: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxkEoGN_59Q&t=47s
Lectio Magistralis Ph.D Graduation Cerimony University of Verona: From confirmation bias to echo chambers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jWgLe-Z4AI
Biennale Democrazia. Walter Quattrociocchi e Carlo Freccero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n_28LXhBDE