(EVENTS: OCTOBER 2018- APRIL 2019) Paying close attention to rhetoric spoken or written by individuals for promoting hate and discord among their audience should become a part of security procedures for identifying potential threats to an organization. Consistently overt and aggressive opinions, though protected by free speech, remain a potential indicator, particularly if the speech is directed towards a specific group or individual.

Social media has provided platforms for diverse sentiments to be regarded as serious, comical, educational, and at times hateful depending on the author. What it also has provided are “cues” for expanding an organizations informational intelligence as it relates to security. Cues are important resources for determining security changes. In order to understand the cues as they pertain to a specific group or individual’s safety requires training. Used properly, this skill of “social media situational awareness” becomes quickly relevant for maintaining a safe environment.