Matthew Gentzkow
Department: Department of Economics
Colleges / Universities: Stanford University
Contact
579 Serra Mall
Stanford, CA 94305
Email: gentzkow@stanford.edu
Website: Stanford University faculty profile
Matthew Gentzkow is the Landau Professor of Technology and the Economy at Stanford University. He studies applied microeconomics with a focus on media industries. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Econometric Society and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
Professor Gentzkow's work has been published in the Journal of Political Economy, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the American Economic Review, and Econometrica, and has been covered in major national media. He is an Associate Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Economics and a Research Associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research on the Industrial Organization and Political Economy programs. He is a former co-editor of American Economic Journal: Applied Economics and former associate editor of RAND Journal of Economics.
Professor Gentzkow was awarded the American Economic Association’s (AEA) 2014 John Bates Clark Medal, presented to an American economist under the age of forty who is judged to have made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge. Other awards include the 2016 Calvó-Armengol International Prize, the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, several National Science Foundation grants for research on media, and a Faculty Excellence Award for teaching.
Degrees
Ph.D. Harvard University, 2004
A.M. Harvard University, 2002
A.B. Harvard University, 1997
Recent Academic Article Summaries
A study of smartphone use shows that consumers’ excessive use of smartphones and social media may result from digital addiction. Self-control tools reduce usage and improve well-being.
Users, parents, and policymakers should support digital self-control tools.
GPS data can be used to estimate how often people encounter others of diverse backgrounds throughout their day.
Commercial activity tends to reduce segregation. Children may be more isolated from diverse others.
Observers are increasingly aware of the negative effects of social media, including political polarization. This study shows that deactivation of social media reduces political polarization and increases happiness.
Standard measures of the benefits of social media are too high.
Cross-Country Trends in Affective Polarization
Political polarization in several countries, including the United States, is increasing. Key factors include increasing polarization among elite political party members and the spread of cable news services.
Inequality and trade do not appear to be factors in increasing polarization.
Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election
Fake news stories, often produced to earn advertising revenue, are growing in importance. Consumers are more likely to believe articles that confirm their prior beliefs.
Fake news has social costs.
Blog Posts
Quotes in the News
Gentzkow, M. (2019, January 30). The New York Times.“I would have expected more substitution from Facebook to other digital things — Twitter, Snapchat, online browsing. That didn’t happen, and for me, at least, it was a surprise.”
Matthew Gentzkow
Department of Economics
Stanford University
Gentzkow, M. (2014, April 17). The Wall Street Journal.“It’s a really exciting time in economics. The set of questions you’re allowed to ask has expanded dramatically.”
Matthew Gentzkow
Department of Economics
Stanford University
Gentzkow, M. (2014, April 17). The New York Times.“Media has been a fun area to study because it combines rich economics with political and social aspects.”
Matthew Gentzkow
Department of Economics
Stanford University
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