The Big Interview: The Power of RiskEye
In this blog post, we will delve into the insights shared by Nicola Byrne to Lorcan Allen for the Sunday Business Post and explore how RiskEye is tackling the growing threat of reputation damage in cyberspace.
In today's digital age, the internet can be a double-edged sword. While it offers immense opportunities for growth and connectivity, it also presents significant risks to businesses and individuals alike. Nicola Byrne, the chair and founder of RiskEye, understands these risks better than most. Having witnessed the disruptive power of social media, she founded RiskEye to specialise in online risk and reputation monitoring for brands and corporations.
The Changing Face of Cyber Threats
When people think of cyber threats, data theft often comes to mind. However, through the interview, Nicola emphasizes that reputation threats are equally concerning. With the internet's speed and reach, damaging information can spread within minutes, tarnishing a brand or company's reputation.
“The volume and speed and velocity that the internet moves at means someone can say something damaging online today and the world knows about it in minutes. The reputation of a brand or a company is judged in every post online. And my idea is that everyone should be protected online. RiskEye is not a marketing tool. It’s not a monitoring tool. It’s not a cyber tool and it’s not a search engine optimisation tool. It’s a risk tool.”
Every online post contributes to the judgment of a brand or individual, making online protection a necessity. RiskEye aims to safeguard clients from reputation-related risks rather than being a marketing or monitoring tool. It's a risk-focused solution, ensuring the online safety of businesses and individuals.
Understanding the 7-38-55 Theory
One of the fundamental challenges posed by the online world is the disconnect between the real world and the virtual realm. In the article, Nicola introduces the 7-38-55 theory, which quantifies the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication.
“One of the problems with the internet is that the real world clashes with the online world. And the online world is weaponised to an extent. When you look at what happens in the online world, it’s useful to think of the 7-38-55 rule, which is a theory that quantifies how much we communicate through verbal and non-verbal communication methods,”
In face-to-face interactions, 7% is conveyed through spoken words, 38% through tone of voice, and 55% through body language. However, in the online world, communication relies mostly on written words, leaving out 93% of the meaning. This limited form of communication contributes to polarization and misinterpretation. RiskEye's expertise lies in accurately predicting the repercussions of specific words online and intervening to prevent reputational damage.
Platforms and The Spread Of Information
Each platform has its own set of rules and values, and while Google has been proactive in enforcing these rules, Facebook presents more significant challenges. Nicola shares an alarming case where a student was blackmailed and had personal images shared on Instagram. Despite repeated requests, Facebook refused to remove the content, highlighting the rampant issue of harmful posts on the platform.
‘“There are rules on the internet and community values on each platform. But every platform on the internet has a different set of rules and values . . . All of these platforms sell advertising for a living. Twitter has cut off Google and limited it to three searches an hour after a tweet is posted. What that means for us is that if something bad happens on Twitter, Google won’t pick it up until after a certain time. So, the information spreads slower and it gives us a chance to intervene,” Byrne says.’
RiskEye's monitoring capabilities empower clients to address reputational risks proactively and navigate the complexities of social media platforms. In today's interconnected world, protecting online reputation has become paramount.
To read the full article, click here.
Lorcan, Allen. "‘Twitter is the platform where we see the most risk for corporate clients’ – RiskEye’s Nicola Byrne." Sunday Business Post, [4th June], [https://www.businesspost.ie/news-focus/twitter-is-the-platform-where-we-see-the-most-risk-for-corporate-clients-riskeyes-nicola-byrne/?utm_campaign=article&utm_source=email&utm_medium=web].