Social media intelligence

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.[1] This type of intelligence gathering is one element of OSINT (Open- Source Intelligence).[2]

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.[3][4][2] 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.[3]

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).[5]

  1. ^ Norton-Taylor, Richard (April 24, 2012). "Former spy chief calls for laws on online snooping". The Guardian. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Senekal, BA (2018), Socmint: die monitering van sosiale media vir gemeenskapsveiligheidsdoeleindes binne 'n grootdataraamwerk in Suid-Afrika met spesifieke verwysing na Orania, LitNet Akademies 15(3).
  3. ^ a b Omand, David; Bartlett, Jamie; Miller, Carl (2012). #Intelligence. London, England: Demos. ISBN 978-1-909037-08-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Warning over net surveillance move". The Sunday Sun. April 24, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  5. ^ Mayeh, Maral; Scheepers, Rens; Valos, Michael (January 1, 2012). "Understanding the role of social media monitoring in generating external intelligence". ACIS 2012: Location, Location, Location: Proceedings of the 23rd Australasian Conference on Information Systems 2012: 1–10.