Social Perception of Organized Crime and Security in the Northeastern Border Region of Mexico and Texas: An Analysis in X

Abstract

This article examines the social perception of organized crime and its impact on security in four Mexican states bordering Texas: Coahuila, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. Through the analysis of 11, 687 posts on the digital platform X (formerly Twitter) collected between August 2023 and April 2024, Big Data and Text Mining techniques are used to develop a geospatial perception index. The study reveals a broadly negative perception of organized crime, particularly regarding extortion and violence, and shows how these perceptions vary across different regions of the northeastern Mexico-Texas border. Furthermore, the analysis identifies discussion patterns and sentiments in the digital conversation, providing deeper insights into the sociocultural factors influencing public perceptions of security in the region. The findings contribute to the discourse on cross-border security and its effect on the daily lives and social and economic environments of border communities.