From SOCMINT to Digital Humint. Re-frame the use of social media within the Intelligent Cycle.

Social media intelligence (SOCMINT, Omand et al., 2012), is the youngest component of the intelligence cycle, that is focused on the collection and analysis of information produced and exchanged through social media. However, despite SOCMINT value is recognised, analysts quite often criticise the lack of a strategy, a doctrine or best practices on the use of this specific instrument. The dynamic change of the environment characterising the social media domain, makes necessary a flexible approach, that is able to adapt to technological changes and their utilisation culture as well. It is in fact shared the position according to which a defined prototype of the use of this discipline does not exist, it needs, instead, to be asked the following questions: Which is the platform supporting the conversation? Which is the nature of the interaction? What is the research object? Demands that, thanks to their answers, define the instrumental nature of the subject, that may not avoid a wider vision, integrating the process of developing a detailed analysis of the information gathered with a sociological framing, through a synthetic effort DALLA SOCMINT ALLA DIGITAL HUMINT 103 that we define as DIGITAL HUMINT, fruitful union between the HUMINT practice, primary constituent, since its very origin, of the intelligence cycle and the approach connected to social media sources. Within this note, some peculiarities related to both of the domains will be discussed, with the aim of underlining the choice’s motivation, and the usefulness of adopting a holistic vision of formerly independent instruments within a new framework, DIGITAL HUMINT again.