In order to get an overview of the advantages and disadvantages that social media generate a vintage method was restyled: a SWOT, but in this particular case not based on an organization or an individual, but based on the phenomenon ?social media?.
We present a social media SWOT ~ with a twist~, in which we identify strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This SWOT can be used as a model, a tool in identifying effects of social media, which can, or rather should be taken into account in writing the social media-strategy for an organization, a person or a governmental institution.
Social Media presents a great opportunity, which can also be applied to law enforcement. ?We should make sure that we understand the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Social Media SWOT), for either the police, the citizen or the criminal. For policing in the 21st century in collaboration with the crowd and communities, the following SWOT of Social Media is identified:
STRENGTHS
Anywhere & anytime
The intrinsic characteristic of the internet is that it has the potential to be used anywhere in the world, at anytime (24/7). Social media are independent of time and location. This potential is exploited increasingly, since the internet becomes increasingly present/available (ubiquitous).
Low Barrier
Digital skills, knowledge and prosperity used to be required to use Social media (and the internet in general). Improving usability, user friendliness and decreasing costs make social media more accessible and decrease thresholds.
Speed
The speed of sending and receiving messages is increasing by adopting broadband and mobile internet. Now it is possible to use communication and information applications anywhere. It used to be the case that online communication was often asynchronous (e.g. e-mail). However, currently, social media provide many forms of real time communication. Not only because of faster internet connection, but also because you can communicate with ?the cloud?, instead of communicating with one individual. Information can be shared very quickly in large groups.
Direct
Due to social media individuals can be reached directly and in great numbers at once at the same time. This makes social media unique, this used to be impossible or very expensive when using traditional media. Social media flatten the world at once (as described in ?The World is flat?), as one can communicate directly, without hierarchy. Anyone can contact anyone. Social media facilitate finding and communicating directly with whomever you want.
Transparent
Since information has become easier to find, the world has become more transparent. ?Honesty lasts? becomes more and more reality. Everything that happens on the internet, among others on social media, leaves its traces. Moreover, the adage in social media is sharing is more important than possessing, which is why approximately everything that is published (and increasingly consumed too), is shared. Information seems to be increasingly considered as a community-asset.
Rich and divers
The alternatives in the conversation prism have increased enormously. New modalities arise (aside from text, image, video, and speech with gesture has been introduced) to create and to consume information, and to communicate. Media become increasingly richer, and people are better able to stay connected in a natural way.
Dialogue
Social media lessen the threshold to start a dialogue to the minimum and at approximately no costs. Moreover, communication has changed from sending to just one person into sending to two, or multi-way communication.
Personal
Individuals and organizations can be reached directly, but also in massive numbers. This characteristic is unique to social media, impossible, or at least very costly through traditional media. Moreover, besides reaching people, organizations can also have a dialogue at a low threshold (two-way communication channel). Personal and personalized go along with each other: along with providing information you can communicate, personalized. It is possible and most likely valuable, to increase the number of personalized conversations, but many organizations are struggling in doing so.
WEAKNESSES
Intensity
The absence of time or space restrictions in using social media creates risks for inefficiencies, which can lead reduced productivity. The social aspect causes perceived expectations and social pressure. This social pressure is caused by high quantities of non-stop information, at high speed. This requires (too) much attention, and even stress to keep yourself posted constantly.
Barrier
Although internet is available and assessable for nearly everyone, there are still substantial groups of people who are excluded from its use. This may be caused by lack of equipment (computer, mobile phone wireless internet), but it can also be caused by restrictions due to a handicap, due to politics and policy or regulations (China).
Rapid change
Growing technological abilities (future internet), and transparency have changed social media rapidly. Even currently more solutions are presented, all of these loaded with new possibilities and new dangers. New media, with new applications are released before a social medium gets implemented to the fullest; e.g. before late adopters have adopted the medium, and before policy and law are adjusted. New adjustments are necessary sooner than old adjustments are implemented.
Overload
Due to the intensity of social media (speed, directness, quantity) and due to its dispersion (many different social media), one can say that there is an overload of information and communication. Statistics show that nowadays the amount of produced information can be measured in Exabyte?s on a weekly basis. This is more than the entire size of the internet of just a few years ago. Usage of social media is the biggest reason for this growth.
Transparency
Digital tracks, your social network and your identity become increasingly easy traceable. Activities on the internet are related to identities in social networks, and the numbers of applications that facilitate in relating data from different sources are increasing. Erasing your digital tracks has become extremely difficult. Furthermore, it has become increasingly challenging to delete content or to protect personal data. Moreover, it has become less clear who owns which information.
Decentralized
Formal communication and social media management have become more challenging partially because of individual’s empowerment within organizations and societies. The consistency of the message is can easily get lost because everyone is empowered to communicate. Broadcasting loses its power.
Immaturity
Even though we have used digital communication for more than a decade, this way of communication still has its issues/problems/challenges, which can cause miscommunication. Moreover, networks computers and software on which social media depend, are not always as robust as necessary. Technology remains relatively immature. Speech often has a higher priority to get transferred, compared to data. Social media are unpredictable and a replacing medium is introduced quickly. Moreover, laws and policy in the society are not sufficiently adjusted to the possibilities offered by social media.
Value unknown
The value, for all stakeholders, is unknown, and is hardly studied as of yet. Cost-benefit analyses are difficult to estimate for one stakeholder, and the value for society as a whole is unknown. However, one has become able to measure and prove the value of several elements of social media separately.
OPPORTUNITIES
Reach
Everyone?s reach has increased by social media, due to the amount of people active on social media, and due to the raised speed through which information and communication can be send straight to anyone. You can communicate directly with whom-ever you want to. Principles such as six degrees of separation are used faster and easier. Moreover reach is increased because you are able to reach people on any place in the world, from any place in the world.
Unity
By using social media people are able to unite their forces more efficiently and effectively than before. The impact of these joined forces, for example knowledge and skills (wisdom of the crowd, crowdsourcing) has changed the way organizations, government and community act and work. Citizens influence the production procedure (E.g. Nestl?, KitKat) value chains are subject to change (E.g. Encyclopedia Britannica vs Wikipedia), revolutions are initiated (E.g. Egypt, Libya). Furthermore it has been shown that amateurs can compete with professionals. (Pro-Am revolution).
Involvement
Social media enable the possibility to have a dialogue with anyone anywhere at low costs. Being able to have this dialogue allows you to co?create and to let citizens participate in the policy-cycle. Two-way communication provides new opportunities for many organizations and individuals. Once the communication has started higher goals and expectations, such as involvement of all, stakeholders arise. Social media allows involving ?the mass? in different ways and in different processes, which was unthinkable before.
Influence
The authority which organizations and opinion-leaders used to have on the masses, (e.g. due to lack of knowledge of the masses) reduces due to social media. The people can inform themselves better and more easily, and can publicize their opinions to the world. Individuals can influence each other (social contagion). Moreover; the masses can correct polluted?? and incorrect information.
Value Chains
Social media provide possibilities for new collaborations, social innovation and technological innovations. There is an ongoing tendency towards open innovation. Furthermore, relationships between stakeholders are changing, becoming more collaborative. Social media have caused more transparency and have led to the introduction of ?open data?, aiming to find new services based on governmental data. Social media have decreased the threshold to join a value chain and provide new niches (Longtail) and accordingly, have helped to develop new business models.
Empowerment
Social media allow individuals to communicate easily and either for free or at low costs with the rest of the world. In doing so social media empower individuals in several areas: (e.g. patient empowerment), energy (prosumers) but also safety in risk-communication. Moreover, social media offer the possibility to unite and create one strong voice.
Change
Due to the rapidly changing character of social media organizations and individuals can distinguish themselves by being the first to use new opportunities within social media.
Value Creation
Social media provide possibilities to create relationships with third parties and create valuable exchanges for all. By having a dialogue, information can be shared, mistrust and frustrations can be cleared out and ideas can be shared.
THREATS
Miscommunication
Social media increase miscommunication due to: 1) information overload, 2) translation, 3)?summarized and incomplete information, 4) fast communication (inaccuracy, lack of nuance, and lack of compensation for lost non-verbal communication). This may lead to incorrect or early conclusions. The speed of communication through social media can lead to (too) quick responses, which could cause to unjustified erupting discussions.
Digital divide
The ?Digital Divide? refers to the increasing differences between early adapters and late followers in ICT related innovations. This divide is decreasing within The Netherlands, and comparable developed countries, however, on a global scale this trend is not emerging. This divide finds its causes in available facilitation and in skills, interests and motivation to learn to adapt to ICT related innovations. Results of this divide might increase when social media are more widely used in t society (e.g. voting, financial transactions, travelling, books which become e-books).
Chaos
Whereas communication through classic media can be managed and controlled reasonably well by someone, social media cannot be managed all; social media might be compared with anarchy. There is no way to centrally control the jungle of social media. Having a large number of people who communicate, neither organizations nor government are in charge of what is said on the organization/ department. Sometimes people act like organized masses, but mostly communication in social media is chaotic, which makes it unpredictable.
Lack of Control
Social media allow people to unite and persuade others (more) easily. Due to this empowerment introduction of social media decreases (governmental) control. Opportunities to unite can have negative and even dangerous results, since people with negative goals can unite and bundle their forces. Moreover, (over)empowerment is underestimated frequently; one message can cause a lot of (intangible) damage.
Abuse
People who are malevolent can abuse social media in many different ways in order to enrich themselves. Abuse of social media can be done by infringement in conditions of social media providers, (e.g. ?scraping?), infringement in law, (e.g. privacy legislation, copyright), or unwritten norms and values (e.g. user profiling). This abuse can concern content such as personal information, but also individual’s social network. These forms of abuse are all due to the transparency (e.g. pleasrobme). Even though introduction of new legislation and jurisprudence is aimed at?? minimizing abuse, threats of abuse are likely to increase.
Sociobesity
The role of the internet becomes more and more important in our lives; social media even increased the importance of the internet. Besides infobesity social media now add a social component, which expects users to be online constantly. When the options provided by social media are exercised to the limit, efficiency and health could suffer.
Web 2.0 Bubble
It is not exactly clear what social media have to offer, many options provided through social media wax and wane. Not too long ago Second Life was very popular, which is no longer the case. Then a Facebook account became the new trend, and currently a Twitter account is a must-have? These rapid changes create insecurities regarding how much time and money should be invested in for example exploring Facebook, whether it is durable, or if a new trend is already on its way.
Influence
A direct externality of empowerment of people and empowerment of communities, are the risks of value destruction. Anyone can put information ? either correct or incorrect ? on the internet and spread it very easily (e.g. viral and slacktivism). Costs in time, money and effort are only marginal. Consequences can be damage to legal institutions, persons, damage to an image (boycott BP, Nestl? KitKat-case) or it can cause the destruction of an organization (DSB Bank ? the Netherlands) or government (revolution Tunisia).
Authors: Arnout de Vries, Carlijn Broekman