Click Bait Throttling via Utility Factor Scoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional social networking systems face issues with users accessing undesired content, known as click bait, which undermines the user experience and the system's ability to provide relevant content.

Innovation Solution

A system and method to determine a utility factor for content items based on interaction types, specifically using time durations of consumption and normalized factor values to predict click bait, thereby reducing its presentation to users by adjusting the expected utility score.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If content items are presented to users based on suggested subject matter to increase user engagement, then user interaction increases, but users frequently access undesired content (click bait) which degrades user experience

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser engagementVSAvoidclick bait exposure

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis of content items before presentation to users. It calculates utility factors and expected utility scores in advance to identify and filter click bait content, preventing harmful content from reaching users while maintaining engagement with quality content

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The utility factor calculation system acts as an intermediary between content items and users. It introduces a scoring mechanism that evaluates content quality and relevance, mediating the presentation process to filter out click bait while preserving engaging content

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the system filters out potential click bait content to improve user experience, then user experience improves, but the complexity of content evaluation increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser experience qualityVSAvoidcontent evaluation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The content evaluation process is segmented into distinct components: utility factor calculation, expected utility score generation, and click bait identification. Each component handles a specific aspect of evaluation, making the overall complex process manageable and systematic

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms qualitative content assessment into quantitative parameters. By calculating utility factors and expected utility scores as numerical values, the system converts subjective content quality judgment into objective, computable metrics that simplify the evaluation process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10282384B2Systems and methods for throttling click bait

Publication Date: 2019.05.07 META PLATFORMS INC

AI summary

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to determine a value of a utility factor associated with a content item corresponding to a link. An optimized utility value relating to an interaction type of an outbound click is determined based on the value of the utility factor. An expected utility score associated with the content item is generated based on the optimized utility value to determine potential presentation of the content item to a user.