SOCIAL MEDIA INTELLIGENCE: OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS

An important part of the reform of the intelligence community is felt in the opening linked with the widening spectrum of methods and spaces which can be used to collect and analyse dates and information. One of these methods that produce large mutations in the system is connected to the world of social media which proves to be a huge source of information. Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT), the newest member of the family INT's, is undoubtedly a separate domain, a practice rooted in the work of the intelligence community. This paper proposes a general characterization of the most important aspects of Social Media Intelligence, a brand new way for the intelligence community to collect and analyse information for national security purposes (but not only) in the context of the current global challenges. Moreover, the work is focused in identifying the further limitations and opportunities of this practice in the upcoming decade