Author Max Brooks: 5 Tips for Positive ‘Cyber-Hygiene’

Information has become “the key weapon of modern conflict” in the age of social media, Emmy Award-winning author Max Brooks recently told students.

Brooks is the author of Devolution, The Zombie Survival Guide, and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, and a former staff writer for Saturday Night Live. He also holds fellowships at the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and the Modern War Institute at West Point.

He visited Emerson on November 13 for a discussion on Disinformation and Democracy, moderated by Communication Studies Senior Affiliated Faculty member Mohamed Khalil, and outlined five tips to maintain healthy online practices, or positive “cyber-hygiene.”

Brooks is the author of Devolution, The Zombie Survival Guide, and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, and previously was a staff writer for Saturday Night Live. He also holds fellowships at the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and the Modern War Institute at West Point.

1. Be Aware of Fear, Doubt, and Apathy

Malignant online actors use fear, doubt, and apathy to disturb users’ understanding of digital information, relying on their inherent biases to surpass logic and incite negative emotional reactions.

“Social media is meant to engender emotion, not rational thought,” said Brooks.

When consuming or sharing digital information, users should ask themselves if fear, doubt, and apathy are influencing their behavior.

2. Understand the Three Forms of Information Distortion

Information can be distorted in three key ways: propaganda, disinformation, and misinformation.

Propaganda, Brooks explained, insists on a particular truth. It involves presenting highly-curated information meant to exaggerate certain elements of a topic, while minimizing others.

Disinformation is the intentional broadcast of false information. It seeks to deceive an audience by muddling their understanding of factual evidence. 

Misinformation is the unintentional broadcast of false information.

3. Understand How Disinformation Becomes Misinformation

“Disinformation transforms into misinformation when people are exposed to false narratives first, when they hear this disinformation often, when it comes from a trusted source, and when it lacks rebuttal,” said Brooks.

4. “If You Don’t Know, Don’t Blow.”

One of the best ways to uphold cyber-hygiene is to take a “journalistic- integrity” approach to consuming and sharing information online, Brooks said.

“If you don’t know the source, don’t pass it along,” he said. “Assume responsibility for the accuracy of your posts.”

5. Participate!

Brooks encouraged Emerson students to speak up when they spot falsehoods online. “Democracy only works when we all participate,” he said.