Hi! I'm Emerson Johnston (she/her), a cyber policy researcher at Stanford University, where I’m pursuing dual master’s degrees in International Cyber Policy and Security, and in History with a concentration in the history of Science, Technology, Environment, and Medicine. I'm also a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. Across both programs, my work exists at intersection of internet studies, policy analysis, and historical inquiry, with my research integrating ethnographic methods, network analysis, and archival investigation to explore how digital infrastructures—from early internet networks to contemporary social media platforms—shape self-concept, identity formation, and sociopolitical engagement.

    Academically, I am a research assistant to Dr. Amy Zegart in the Hoover Institution’s Technology, Economics, and Governance working group, and an affiliate of the Stanford Social Media Lab. My research has been published by the Hoover Institution and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, and I am a regular contributor to the Stanford International Policy Review, where I have written on topics ranging from the strategic function of social media in warfare to the geopolitical symbolism of platform bans.I've also presented my work at the International Sociological Association, the American Sociological Association, the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA), and the University of Westminster’s Communication and Media Research Institute, as well as at the Debating Creator Culture pre-conference of the International Communication Association’s 75th Annual Meeting.

    Professionally, I'm a both the Cyber Threat Report Analyst at the Cyber Threat Alliance and a research consultant at the Atlantic Council's Cyber Statecraft Initiative, where I support projects related to cyber crime, cyber strategy, and information and communications technologies, as well as expand on my own research. Prior to that, my experience spans roles in the U.S. government, the U.S. military, and in private sector cyber security.

I am always open to collaboration, cold emails, and questions.

While you're here...

# Check out and follow the custom feed I run on BlueSky that tracks developments and discussions on internet cultures, subcultures, and countercultures

And for a laugh...

# Find out which subatomic particle you are with this cute persona quiz I made

# Watch my 2024 N.O.B.E.L. (not official but exceedingly ludacris) theories night presentation about the birth lottery and overlooked factors in academic success