What It Actually Feels Like When Your Social Media Feed Explodes in a Crisis

There is something different about watching your social media feed explode that you can't capture in a typical crisis training.

The first time I experienced it was working for Governor Wolf.

In 2015, Gov. Wolf announced that he would continue to accept Syrian refugees following a terrorist attack in Paris. Republicans in Pennsylvania and nationally made it a flashpoint issue, and almost immediately, the governor's social media feeds lit up.

The comments, posts, and tags kept coming.

It paralyzed the office for a bit. Too many staffers were distracted and drawn by the sheer volume of posts and the vitriol.

We were able to regroup and respond, but none of us had experienced anything quite like it before.

That's what Siege captures.

I wanted to build a crisis training tool that not only walks you through a crisis but simulates the feeling of being under siege. You can see your feed change in real time as you get attacked — or defended — by realistic personas.

It's a training you can't capture in a conference room.

At Fitler Square Strategies, we help organizations navigate crises, build advocacy campaigns, and communicate with clarity when it matters most. If you're facing a challenge or just want to be better prepared for the ones ahead, we'd love to talk. Get in touch or learn more about what we do.