Cyber Whispers, the Information Crisis & How Young People Can See Through the Noise
On December 15, I will release Cyber Whispers – A Fake News Ghost Story, the second adventure in the Team Savv-i edufiction series. It’s a story filled with eerie illusions, manipulated truths, digital hauntings… and the increasingly urgent real-world question:
How do we know what’s real anymore?
This week, The Guardian published a powerful article* titled “Don’t argue with strangers… and 11 more rules to survive the information crisis,” and it struck me how deeply its message aligns with the heart of this new book.
We are living through an Information Crisis—a civilisation-level shift as disruptive as the invention of writing and the printing press. Only now, information travels at the speed of a tap, reshaped by algorithms designed to provoke emotion, capture attention, and blur the lines between fact and fiction.
And our young people are the ones caught in the crossfire.
Why Cyber Whispers Exists: The Crisis Behind the Story
Cyber Whispers takes the Team Savv-i crew into a chilling metaverse simulation where fake news manifests as literal ghost—echoes of manipulated truths, viral distortions, and strategically crafted misinformation with reputation destroying intent.
The “whispers” they hear aren’t supernatural.
They’re algorithmic.
They’re crafted to frighten, to lure, to deceive, to divide.
Just like the real world.
Naomi Alderman’s piece reminds us that those emotional jolts—fear, outrage, euphoria—are the hooks.
“If something makes you feel furious or terrified or euphoric, pause before you share it. The emotion is often the point.”
Cyber Whispers puts that insight centre stage. The characters feel the rush, the fear, the confusion. And through their eyes, young readers safely explore how misinformation works on the mind.
Media Literacy Needs More Than Warnings — It Needs Practice
Lectures rarely stick.
Stories do.
That’s why edufiction works: young readers experience the trap, the twist, the moment their favourite character nearly falls for the lie. And then—crucially—they learn how to navigate out of it. To support that learning, Cyber Whispers introduces a simple but powerful media-literacy tool:
🟠 R.A.P.P.E.R.
A practical acronym to help young people sort truth from fiction.
Each letter represents a step in mindful verification:
R – Reputation - Who made it?
A – Audience - For whom was it made?
P – Presentation - How does it appear?
P – Purpose - Why was it made? To inform, entertain, provoke, manipulate?
E – Effect - Who gains, who loses?
R – Real - How do you know it’s true?
In the book, Bindi, Beam, Chi, and Lena must use the R.A.P.P.E.R. method to sift real warnings from digital illusions. For young readers, this becomes a hands-on rehearsal for reality. It is further practised in the Education Guide using creative activities.
Why Young People Need Media Literacy More Than Ever
Alderman’s rules highlight a truth we can no longer ignore:
We are swimming in emotionally charged content.
We are encouraged to react, not reflect.
We are targeted not as humans but as data profiles.
We are shaped by invisible systems that learn what moves us and use it.
This is why Cyber Whispers had to be written.
Because the problem isn’t simply “fake news.”
It’s how fake news feels real.
It’s how misinformation bypasses logic and hijacks emotion.
It’s how young people—still developing critical thinking, empathy, and impulse control—are uniquely vulnerable to emotionally engineered content.
Cyber Whispers doesn’t preach these ideas.
It dramatizes them.
Makes them thrilling.
Makes them memorable.
And gives young readers the tools to navigate the digital storms of their future.
A Final Insight From The Guardian Article
One line in Alderman’s piece stays with me:
“Arguing with strangers turns human beings into symbols, and symbols are easy to hate.”
This is exactly how misinformation fractures communities—and how disinformation campaigns destabilise societies.
It’s also why Team Savv-i, in the book, must decide not to fight the ghost head-on, but to understand who was behind it and what the motivation.
Cyber Whispers Launches December 15
If you’re a parent, an educator, a librarian, or a homeschooling family, this book—and its Education Guide—will give you a story-powered gateway into discussing:
misinformation
algorithmic manipulation
viral emotion
media bias
source evaluation
digital empathy
and the importance of slowing down before we share
It’s the story I wish every young person could read before stepping further into the digital world.
Because the Information Crisis is here.
But with the right tools—and the right stories—we can create a generation who navigates it with clarity, curiosity, and courage.
*The Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/15/dont-argue-with-strangers-and-11-more-rules-to-survive-the-information-crisis
