Social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information. The types of information these criminals are seeking can vary, but when individuals are targeted the criminals are usually trying to trick you into giving them your passwords or bank information, or access your computer to secretly install malicious softwarethat will give them access to your passwords and bank information as well as giving them control over your computer.
This is the most popular way to understand this expression. But that doesn't mean one cannot use such an expression for something different, especially if this "something different" is a broader meaning which actually makes a lot of sense.