Social Listening is No Match Against Modern Information Risk
As adversaries evolve, so must corporate capabilities
Disinformation, misinformation, fabricated imagery and narrative conflicts are not new phenomena, but in today’s interconnected and always plugged-in world, we’re faced with a rise in both the number of threat actors who attempt to manipulate information to their advantage and the sheer speed, scale and impact that these industrialized attacks on human perception can have.
In order to detect and assess high-risk information-driven threats in today’s media landscape, we must first assess the capabilities of tools that have been used for the past decade.
Media Monitoring Tools
Present-day media monitoring tools were built to support marketing and customer support teams and were originally designed to identify conversations online by simply aggregating vanity metrics — the number of likes, shares, mentions, comments, and so on. While these volume-based statistics are still one important criteria when assessing content amplification and reach, they’re limited in providing anything beyond surface-level insight. These metrics don’t inform or protect a company or brand from the new information risks that exist today. To assess threats based on volume and engagement not only assumes all activity and accounts are authentic and harmless until proven otherwise, but it’s also an inherently reactive approach to risk mitigation.
“Counting” as a proxy for measuring perceived harm simply can’t provide a deeper material understanding of complex digital risk. The sophistication and volume of informational threats are continuously evolving and outstripping contemporary technology, which in turn leaves organizations susceptible to harm. To keep pace, technology providers will need to identify key indicators such as narrative manipulation, bot networks, inauthentic coordinated behavior, and much more, both simultaneously and at high speed. Without a more nuanced and up-to-date approach, the current state of media monitoring cannot protect a brand’s market share and hard-won reputation.
Business leaders have faced a world of increasingly decentralized media risk, filled with threat actors leveraging both human and AI-enhanced tactics to disinform, misinform and create chaos and confusion.
Threat actors have developed tools and tactics to hijack communications in novel and complex ways, while constantly evolving to avoid detection and simultaneously exploit trends and events to generate a constant state of confusion. When every online attack feels like an emergency, it’s difficult to identify or prioritize which battle to fight first and organizations often lack sufficient toolsets and knowledge to effectively identify root sources and drivers of information-based threats.
Addressing the challenges of contemporary information threats requires not only high-speed, scalable technologies to analyze information and produce actionable insights from massive amounts of data, but also demands the ability to detect signals that can reveal manipulative messaging at their point of emergence. While national security organizations have been investing in sophisticated intelligence for years, companies and brands are now also realizing that they are vulnerable to many of the same risks previously aimed at nation-states. Business leaders that understand and anticipate these types of threats and deploy vigilant responses from modernized playbooks and tools can expect to be well-positioned for response and resiliency over the long term.
Addressing the Spiraling Disinformation Crisis
The adoption of resilient threat detection infrastructure is fundamental to enterprise longevity. A core competency required to push through the next era of information warfare is the creation and implementation of enhanced measures, ongoing training, and clear-cut provisions around reputation management. This will be key in equipping the first layer of defense within organizations — the marketing and communications teams.
Immediate actions these departments can begin to deploy to mitigate the effects of future digital information attacks is to harness the strength of a brand’s reputation. This means prioritizing communications activities to revolve around goodwill efforts and value-based communications campaigns. As threat actors continue to strategically manipulate content and gain influence through digital amplification and broadcast media, establishing counter-measures will ultimately reduce harm towards organizations, groups, and at the individual level. Over the last decade, cybersecurity has evolved into a massive industry and become an integral part of the C-Suite, and so too will media security, as it becomes essential to reputational resilience best practices.
The next-generation intelligence platform must meet the challenges of an entirely new class of information driven risk, designed to manipulate stakeholder perception and spread fabricated controversy at incredible speed.
Evaluating current approaches to better understand where we remain exposed, how we must evolve, and what actions need to be taken immediately will enable organizations to identify opportunities to lean into informed and positive momentum wherever possible. If corporations have the ability to challenge deeply polarizing and hostile information challenges at the source, it means more possibilities than ever to move from a reactive to a proactive state. As adversaries evolve, so must corporate capabilities — better and stronger than before.
