Authenticators Can Humanize Algorithms
So we need to uplift a new job called content “Authenticator” to help AI become more human again.
In the future of digital transformation platforms and blockchain ecosystems that want to remain honest, we will need to have optimized AI-human systems. What does this really mean?
As Instagram contemplates taking the “like” out of its platform gamified for influencer marketers that can lead to deception, illegal practices, and false bot following tendencies, the internet is learning that not just privacy, but honesty matters.
Influencer Marketing in Crisis is Evolving
In the future of word-of-mouth recommendations, it will be important to have real humans authenticating and ensuring quality, honesty, and integrity at all times. This is because algorithms alone aren’t able to do this in 2019. As Apps become better at personalization, authentic content is not enough, it has to be verifiably honest content (WOM Protocol Explainer on Vimeo).
At WOM Protocol we’ve thought a lot about the role of authentication in our ecosystem of apps. Word of mouth must be organic, it must be from a source that is not exploiting the trust of peers.
I think the content authenticator/validator is like a new needed job in the gig economy as a whole. Reviews can be faked, companies can do dishonest PR, as our economy moves to a more service-based system we need to be able to rely on human actors we trust, that can help some of the current limitations of AI and algorithms within apps and in online communities.
Digital Transformation Requires Creators, Authenticators and Checks and Balances on Trust
- Authenticators can level-up the quality of trust within digital communities and in apps.
- The authenticator will be super important (almost as important as creators themselves).
- Peer-to-Peer trust systems will require real people who care to maintain the quality of channels and social ecosystems.
- Good authentication of content is going to be central to the long term sustainable success of a content platform of the future.
Creativity without Validation is Commercial Without Community
Creativity in content production in-app requires moderators, validators and new kinds of people who ensure that the best quality content is uplifted.
There are a lot of lessons we can learn from apps such as Instagram, TikTok and dozens of others including Snapchat and other popular GenZ apps. I feel as though Instagram testing taking out the “like” is an important step in the right direction, where word-of-mouth already occurs on IG.By no means ideal for trust and correct some of the dark sides of influencer marketing.
Authenticators Empower User Generated Content with Ethics
The challenge of creating new user-generated marketing channels that incentivizes and rewards honest word-of-mouth recommendations requires better AI-human optimization at all levels of the product or app ecosystems.
UGC with good authentication means algorithms aren’t missing important signals of whether a video, or story or micro-content misses important guidelines to satisfy the integrity of an ecosystem.
Authenticators and validators in content management uplift the best content that adheres to honest word-of-mouth practices while supporting peer-to-peer influencers to thrive. Influencer marketing without human validators can easily lead to black-hat practices and what Facebook generally refers to as “bad actors”.
GenZ is Motivating an Emergence of Upgraded App Ethics
It’s important the apps of tomorrow have improved ethics built right into the product. We already know Ad-blockers and blockchain tech are revamping the way we build apps for the future.
Just as Medium as a platform has guidelines and curators that boost content accordingly, the importance of these human validators needs to be in the best content creation apps and platforms. The content flood online can’t just be regulated by algorithms, as such, GenZ is hyper experienced in (bullshit detection) and authenticators and validators can and will help maintain quality content that has a high-trust reputation.
GenZ audiences already are expert authenticators at ascertaining the best high-value content not just in terms of design, relatability, and swag, but in terms of truth, ethics and what is truly honest and authentic.
The Future of Trust in Apps Requires Designated Authenticators
- Credibility
- Trust-worthiness
- Content that is able to create value
- Honesty (not sponsored by a third party)
As social commerce apps continue to innovate, we feel the concept of authentication and validation by users and as a new job in these systems needs to take place to ensure the trust is maintained in a sustainable way for all parties involved.
- Authenticators would filter out fake content
- They would validate that highly visible content is high-quality
- GenZ (the most digitally native among us) are naturals for this new job.
- Influencer marketing needs more human validators (internally and in the community)
How do we free influencers from sponsored content? Blockchain tech and more ethical products could result in much healthier app ecosystems. If TikTok takes 50% of the earnings from virtual gifts, while influencers there can sometimes exploit the generosity of their “fans” (BBC Video), that’s not an ecosystem necessarily optimized for fair play.
As digital transformation rolls out, we are starting to evolve as a society how we think about the benefits of blockchain, and how apps today treat the relationship between influencers and their audiences. If influencers are producing sponsored content their hearts and best ethical judgment are not likely to be in it for everyone. We need to change that for the better.
Blockchain Marries Algorithms and Trustworthiness with Added Validators
Brands need a way to bring organic word-of-mouth recommendations into their marketing mix in a measurable and scalable way with these human validators that make sure algos aren’t creating scenarios where false, fake, black-hat, or untrustworthy interactions are taking place.
Medium, for instance, (that has over 90 million unique views a month) has evolved its own rule-set for a reason. Authenticators and human validators would team up with algorithms to ensure an ecosystem is honest while being authentic and offering peer-to-peer value.
Honesty Matters
As digital transformation evolves, the WOM Protocol will help to bring credibility into how word-of-mouth can occur with consumer, retail, E-commerce, social commerce, and various kinds of apps.
Algorithms and even tamper-proof code executed on an immutable blockchain still require people who do the right thing and others who approve and tag the content that is of the highest quality.
In a world of ethics embedded into products, we all win. Gen Z isn’t just a blockchain generation, they are an inclusive generation that wants influencers to be held accountable too.
In a rich world of proliferating content, and incredible apps and new video experiences, honesty matters.
The WOM Protocol is seeking to pioneer a more honest content ecosystem. One where the future of marketing is Ad-free thanks to blockchain technology.
