Terminology
Social Listening
Social listening describes the process of analysing and synthesizing community inputs and conversations, both online and offline, in order to identify the conversations circulating in a society. Combining offline and online social listening mechanisms triangulates the information so that you can develop an accurate and comprehensive understanding of community perspectives and decide the best course of action.
RESOURCE
UNICEF, Social and Community Listening
Developed by UNICEF, this resource outlines how and why to engage in both offline and online social listening in order to inform social and behavioural change and provides a number of case studies on the subject.
Monitoring
Monitoring involves an on-going observation of multiple sources over time to track the spread and evolution of misinformation, disinformation, malinformation and hate speech online. It entails understanding trends, patterns, and overall impact of online harms over time.
Monitoring is more comprehensive and long-term than detection, involving systematic tracking of online harms across different platforms and media sources to build a deeper understanding of how these harms spread, who they affect, and how they evolve. It provides insights for strategic responses and informs decision making.
Detection
Detection aims to identify the initial presence of misinformation, disinformation, malinformation and hate speech. It involves recognizing specific instances as they emerge. Detection is usually focused in scope, with the aim of identifying specific events of harmful online activity that need to be addressed, investigated or monitored.