The Company Using Social Media to Prevent School Shootings
*By Amanda Weston*
Risk management firm Firestorm wants to spot warning signs of tragedies before it's too late, and it's looking to social media for clues.
"Typically, people who perpetrate bad acts broadcast their intent ahead of time," Suzanne Loughlin, a co-founder of Firestorm, said Friday in an interview on Cheddar. "If we're looking and listening, we can pick up clues that might help us intervene long before the individual causes harm."
As part of its [formula](https://www.firestorm.com/home/firestorm-verticals/security-solutions/formula/) to prevent school violence, Firestorm helps institutions and businesses identify threats and vulnerabilities and then designs a strategy.
One way is through algorithms and tools that scan public social media posts for warning signs and keywords like the word "gun" or "glock."
The firm gave some example tweets that would have triggered an alarm, including, "This school is worthless. I wish it didn't exist."
In an actual Facebook post Firestorm shared with Cheddar, a user wrote, "All life I've been bullied by these same kids..well towmarow \[sic\] that all ends. Maryvale is gonna look ugly towmarow \[sic\]." The post concluded with a gun emoji.
While it's unclear what happened in that instance, in other cases Firestorm has detected a more pressing threat.
[Wired reported](https://www.wired.com/story/algorithms-monitor-student-social-media-posts) this week that the company's system flagged a student's post earlier this year that featured a picture of a gun in a backpack. When the principal approached the author of the post, he found that the student was carrying the weapon.
Even if flagged posts don't always identify a person who is planning immediate violence, Loughlin said the system is still valuable.
"Those people still need help," she said.
"Most school shooters, statistically, have been bullied. Bullying is a big problem. So wouldn't that be wonderful, that we solve that issue for a student, whether or not that kid ever is going to be the one who's on the path to ultimately bringing the gun to school?"
Loughlin pointed out that the social media watch is just one of Firestorm's nine strategy components. But, she added, the human element still plays a major role.
"You can't forgo the human interaction and the value that a teacher has, or a staff member, in recognizing what's going on in that kid's life," Loughlin said.
For full interview [click here] (https://cheddar.com/videos/firestorm-scans-for-warning-signs-of-violence).
Markets opened higher on the first trading day of the new year as investors continue to watch inflation and the rapid spread of the omicron variant in the U.S. Frances Newton Stacy, Optimal Capital Dir. of Strategy/Market Analyst joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Markets opened higher as investors react to positive data on the labor front, with weekly jobless claims falling to 198,000 for the week ending December 25. Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the market open.
Sky Harbour, a company developing private aviation infrastructure, is gearing up to land on Wall Street. The company announced plans to go public through a SPAC deal with Yellowstone Acquisition Company, valuing the combined venture at $777 million. The company will trade on the New York Stock Exchange as $SKYH.
Dish Network is reportedly in discussions to merge with DirecTV. According to the NY Post, the two sides are currently 'trying to iron out the details.' The competitors have had talks in the past -- over the course of the past 20 years, but those talks been halted by the DOJ over antitrust concerns. Lydia Moynihan, Business Reporter, NY Post joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Jessie Woolley-Wilson, President and CEO of DreamBox Learning, joins ChedHER to discuss how technology is transforming the way the world learns, and her career journey as a leading woman of color in the tech industry.
One startup is working to reverse climate change one seed at a time. Terraformation is a global forest accelerator that provides tools, training, financing, and business support to help scale forest restoration projects worldwide. Forests naturally absorb carbon and Terraformation says that reforestation is a safe, low-cost, and scalable solution to the climate crisis. Yee Lee, VP of growth at Terraformation, joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Back in February 2021, Twitter announced its three-year plan to double development velocity, to reach 315 million monetizable users, and double its total annual revenue. Chief Customer Officer Sarah Personette, joined Cheddar to discuss where the social media giant stands now a year after the announcement. "The progress against all three of those pillars has been substantial, and we'll continue to drive that over the course of the next year and beyond," she said. Personette also discussed the leadership of Twitter's CEO Parag Agrawal who took over for founder Jack Dorsey late in 2021.
Daniel Freedman, co-CEO of Burnalong, joins Cheddar News to talk about how Burnalong is helping companies support its staff and prevent workplace burnout.
