Here is what Social Media can reveal about you!

Last year at the IPSB Close Protection Conference, one of our team members at Procypher had the opportunity to shed some light on how humans and their behaviors are overlooked when it comes to the protection of assets and key personnel during a mini-podcast with the Sentinel Mindset and Byron Rodgers.

This is a small clip that we'll deep dive into later on during a Protective Insight Podcast episode that will discuss how humans want to be perceived when utilizing the various social media platforms and how those needs can lead to publishing too much information for those with ill intent.

Examining someone's social media profile, such as their LinkedIn, can provide valuable insights to both security personnel and clinicians alike. While the extent of information may vary depending on the individual's privacy settings and their online activity, here are some key aspects that can be learned:

1. Professional Background: LinkedIn profiles often showcase an individual's employment history, qualifications, and educational background. We can gather information about someone's career path, job titles, and areas of expertise. You can gain insights into their professional interests, skills, and accomplishments, which can help in understanding their motivations and self-perception. We can see this through the lense of Schwartz's Value model to understand their particular motivation in the world they live in as well as an understanding as to the development of their moral code

2. Network and Connections: LinkedIn allows users to connect with colleagues, employers, and other professionals in their field. By examining someone's connections, we can uncover potential associations, affiliations, and professional relationships. The more clinical is us can assess an individual's network to understand their social support, level of professional engagement, and potential influences on their behavior and beliefs.

3. Publications and Contributions: LinkedIn often features sections for publications, articles, and other professional contributions. With this you can identify any public work related to the individual's field of expertise, which might provide valuable context for their professional activities. It would allow us to evaluate the content and themes of their contributions to gain insights into their interests, values, and intellectual pursuits. As well as an awareness as to the potential presentations of ego and the effects this can have in other areas.

4. Endorsements and Recommendations: LinkedIn allows users to receive endorsements and recommendations from their connections, attesting to their skills and abilities. We can understand the credibility and reputation of the individual through endorsements from colleagues or employers. As well as being able to explore recommendations to gather insights into their professional reputation, interpersonal skills, and work ethic.

5. Activity and Engagement: Monitoring someone's LinkedIn activity, such as posts, comments, and engagement with industry-specific content, can provide clues about their interests, values, and current focus. If we analyze this information we can understand an individual's online presence and potential involvement in professional communities or discussions. We can also gain insights into their thought processes, areas of passion, and potential emotional triggers. This gives a lot of detail to the potentiality of someone's daily pattern and routine.

6. Personal Branding and Presentation: LinkedIn profiles often reflect an individual's efforts to create a personal brand and professional image. We can analyze the consistency of their profile information with other sources and evaluate the authenticity of their claims. In addition to this we can examine the way they present themselves, including language use, self-descriptions, and visual elements, to understand their self-concept and potential insecurities or desires for professional validation.

7. Publicly Shared Information: Depending on an individual's privacy settings and their online behavior, we may access public posts or articles shared on LinkedIn. These can provide additional insights into their perspectives, opinions, or personal experiences, potentially shedding light on their attitudes, values, or emotional states.

It's important to note that any conclusions drawn from social media profiles should be approached with caution. Online personas may differ from offline behavior, and the information shared may not provide a comprehensive understanding of an individual. However, on a purely mathematical observation of the stats, though online personas differ there is invariably a connection. Nonetheless, social media profiles can serve as valuable starting points for investigations or psychological assessments, offering glimpses into an individual's professional life, interests, and social connections.