Guide to social media training with Somulator – 2024

How can the online information environment be handled in a crisis? Somulator is a training tool that can help to improve individuals', groups' and organisations' preparedness. States and extreme political groups have exploited social media in subversive operations over the past decade. This has become a serious problem for democracies. Operations occur as well before as during armed conflicts, such as in Ukraine. The same applies to crises, such as the covid-19 pandemic. The influence has led to general misinformation, from conspiracy theories to personal attacks on politicians. The development has created a need for organized training in how to handle the online information environment in a crisis. The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) has developed a tool called Somulator. It can facilitate this type of training. Somulator simulates a complete information environment in social media. It provides a realistic training situation. Somulator uses a variety of open-source web applications. It copies well-known platforms such as Facebook, Twitter1, Instagram and YouTube, as well as online news sites. Somulator is designed to be extensible, in the sense that other social media can be added over time. These platforms are controlled through purpose-built training tools. They facilitate the automated distribution of large amounts of content and preparation. This is followed by the implementation and summary of training sessions and exercises. This report discusses the requirements and the various use cases that emerged during the initial planning phase. Next, we examine how Somulator can be compared to other solutions. We summarize the current features of Somulator. These sections of the report can be used by potential users to assess whether Somulator fits their training needs. The core of the report explains how content in social media is central to achieving the training objectives. We provide clear examples of how to develop and distribute content for simple and advanced training cases. The general workflow of a Somulator training session is explained, and the various stages of development, production and distribution are discussed. The report also describes the roles of participants and exercise supervisors (Excon) when it comes to access to and use of Somulator.How can the online information environment be handled in a crisis? Somulator is a training tool that can help to improve individuals', groups' and organisations' preparedness. States and extreme political groups have exploited social media in subversive operations over the past decade. This has become a serious problem for democracies. Operations occur as well before as during armed conflicts, such as in Ukraine. The same applies to crises, such as the covid-19 pandemic. The influence has led to general misinformation, from conspiracy theories to personal attacks on politicians. The development has created a need for organized training in how to handle the online information environment in a crisis. The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) has developed a tool called Somulator. It can facilitate this type of training. Somulator simulates a complete information environment in social media. It provides a realistic training situation. Somulator uses a variety of open-source web applications. It copies well-known platforms such as Facebook, Twitter1, Instagram and YouTube, as well as online news sites. Somulator is designed to be extensible, in the sense that other social media can be added over time. These platforms are controlled through purpose-built training tools. They facilitate the automated distribution of large amounts of content and preparation. This is followed by the implementation and summary of training sessions and exercises. This report discusses the requirements and the various use cases that emerged during the initial planning phase. Next, we examine how Somulator can be compared to other solutions. We summarize the current features of Somulator. These sections of the report can be used by potential users to assess whether Somulator fits their training needs. The core of the report explains how content in social media is central to achieving the training objectives. We provide clear examples of how to develop and distribute content for simple and advanced training cases. The general workflow of a Somulator training session is explained, and the various stages of development, production and distribution are discussed. The report also describes the roles of participants and exercise supervisors (Excon) when it comes to access to and use of Somulator.