Social media[2] intelligence, also known as SOCMINT, is a method of collecting and analyzing information from social media platforms for various purposes. It plays a vital role in different sectors, such as government, politics, law enforcement, and business. Governments use SOCMINT to monitor content and prevent potential threats, while in politics, it’s used to shape public opinions and influence elections. Law enforcement agencies leverage it to prevent criminal activities and improve their operations. In business, it’s used for targeted marketing and enhancing user experiences. However, SOCMINT also poses risks like privacy[3] violations, data misinterpretation, and vulnerability to manipulation. Despite these challenges, the field is seeing significant advancements, including the integration of artificial intelligence[1], real-time monitoring tools, and enhanced image recognition capabilities. Overall, SOCMINT is an essential tool for understanding public sentiment, managing reputational risks, and making informed decisions.
Social media intelligence (SMI or SOCMINT) comprises the collective tools and solutions that allow organizations to analyze conversations, respond to synchronize social signals, and synthesize social data points into meaningful trends and analysis, based on the user's needs. Social media intelligence allows one to utilize intelligence gathering from social media sites, using both intrusive or non-intrusive means, from open and closed social networks. This type of intelligence gathering is one element of OSINT (Open- Source Intelligence).
The term was coined in a 2012 paper written by Sir David Omand, Jamie Bartlett and Carl Miller for the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, at the London-based think tank, Demos. The authors argued that social media is now an important part of intelligence and security work, but that technological, analytical, and regulatory changes are needed before it can be considered a powerful new form of intelligence, including amendments to the United Kingdom Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
Given the dynamic evolution of social media and social media monitoring, our current understanding of how social media monitoring can help organizations create business value is inadequate. As a result, there is a need to study how organizations can (a) extract and analyze social media data related to their business (Sensing), and (b) utilize external intelligence gained from social media monitoring for specific business initiatives (Seizing).