Both Google and Microsoft are looking to create tech to aid the world of social influencers.
Two patents filed by the tech giants reveal the companies want to build tech to identify, detect and reward social trendsetters.
The news was revealed by CB Insights, who spotted the two patent applications.
According to the company, Google’s patent was concerned with notifying and rewarding trendsetters, defined as “early consumers of online content that ends up goes viral. In addition, this identification could ultimately help Google predict what content may go viral.”
This patent was filed in May 2017, and published on 17th August 2017.
Microsoft’s patent, on the other hand, was to do with detecting and classifying experts for “their expertise on specific topics based on their online activity.”
This patent was filed in February 2016, and published on 31st August 2017.
The idea of both patents is that Google and Microsoft want to be able to reward and score social trendsetters who discover or spot early viral content.
The tech companies might even want to give these trendsetters their own badges such as “Experts” or “Trendsetters”, and reward those who spot early viral content.
CB Insights said: “Once implemented, both innovations could also be leveraged for gamification and monetization opportunities around content creation, consumption, and data-sharing. Notably “influencer” startups saw a record high in investments this year.”
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