Social interaction data preservation for augmented photos

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for social interaction data preservation for augmented photos. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for social interaction data preservation for augmented photos includes selecting for replacement an image posted to a social media site and replacing the selected image in the social media site with a new image. The method also includes determining if the new image is similar to the selected image and preserving a thread of responsive postings for the selected image in the social media site and associating the preserved thread with the new image in the social media site if the new image is determined to be similar to the selected image, but otherwise discarding the thread of responsive postings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to photo processing in social media and more particularly to social interaction data management for uploaded photos in a social media data processing system.

Description of the Related Art

Even prior to the development of the Internet, social collaborative technologies supported the ability of geographically distant individuals to communicate and exchange information through the use personal computers and advanced workstations. Almost from the first days of personal computing, online information services included e-mail capabilities, instant chat technologies, shared document repositories and bulletin board facilities so that globally distant end users could share documents and ideas. The advent of the Internet only improved the ease in which end users could collaborate despite the great distances separating the end users. But, the development of social media has changed the way in which individuals interact with one another over the Internet.

Originally, the Internet provided for a revolutionary way for geographically distant users to exchange information and documents without requiring all end users to utilize the same accessing client. Instead, end users were free to use any client available so long as the client supported the Internet protocol (IP) and the transport control protocol (TCP). Soon, thereafter, the search engine enabled those same distant users to search for a priori unknown information and then to retrieve the located information for viewing in a corresponding client. The development of social networking technologies, though, provided the ultimate spark causing the massive expansion of the Internet to now include nearly half of the world's population.

Social media generally includes a bundle of technologies that augment the content sharing nature of the internet by providing for the filtering of the content sharing population for each participant according to a corresponding social network. In social media, content once shared by a participant is limited in its distribution to only those recognized by the participant as present in a social network of the participant and then only those members of the social network permitted by the participant to view the shared content. Each participant in social media additionally may either further limit access to shared content to a subset of those in a corresponding social network, or oppositely, augment access to the shared content to individuals outside of the corresponding social network.

Shared content in social media generally includes textual remarks, though in many instances, shared content includes imagery, video, audio or documentation. As well, shared content in social media often is distributed by the participant with the intent to elicit responsive content by others permitted to access the shared content. Responsive content may be as simple as a selected sentiment such as a “like”, or as complex as contributed text, imagery, audio, video or documentation. Thus, a thread of social commentary may be attached to different social media content contributions provided by different participants.

In many social media applications, once content has been posted to social media, the responsive thread may then develop as responsive contributions are received by those permitted by the content provider to access the posted content. Even during the course of receiving responsive content, the content provider may edit the textual content so as to modify the original textual content. But, unlike a textual contribution to social media, in terms of the posting of an image, the entirety of a responsive thread will be lost if the image is subsequently removed and replaced by a different image.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to photo editing in social media and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for social interaction data preservation for augmented photos. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for social interaction data preservation for augmented photos includes selecting for replacement an image posted to a social media site and replacing the selected image in the social media site with a new image. The method also includes determining if the new image is similar to the selected image and preserving a thread of responsive postings for the selected image in the social media site and associating the preserved thread with the new image in the social media site if the new image is determined to be similar to the selected image, but otherwise discarding the thread of responsive postings.

In one aspect of the embodiment, the new image is an edited version of the selected image. For example, the edited version may be a version of the selected image with red-eye correction applied to the selected image. As another example, the edited version may be a version of the selected image with an adjusted brightness or sharpness applied to the selected image. As yet another example, the image is one of several similar images acquired in close temporal proximity of one another. In another aspect of the embodiment, the method additionally includes responding to an initial posting of the selected image to the social media site by searching the social media site for a different image of similar context as the selected image, but with better resolution, and designating the different image as the new image.

In another embodiment of the invention, a social media data processing system is configured for social interaction data preservation for augmented photos. The system includes a host computing system with one or more computers, each with memory and at least one processor. The system also includes a social media site hosted by the host computing system and accessible by different end users over a computer communications network. Finally, the system includes a social interaction data preservation module coupled to the social media site. The module includes program code enabled upon execution in the host computing system to select for replacement an image posted to the social media site, replace the selected image in the social media site with a new image, determine if the new image is similar to the selected image and preserve a thread of responsive postings for the selected image in the social media site and associating the preserved thread with the new image in the social media site if the new image is determined to be similar to the selected image, but otherwise discarding the thread of responsive postings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention provide for social interaction data preservation for augmented photos. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, an existing image previously posted to a social media site by a contributor to the social media site is selected for removal and replacement. In response, a new image is posted to the social media web site in replacement of the existing image previously posted to the social media site. It is then determined if the replacement of the existing image is contextually similar to the existing image. If so, a thread of responsive postings associated with the existing image remains posted in the social media site, but in connection with the new image posted to the social media sit in replacement of the existing image. Otherwise, the thread of responsive postings is discarded.

In further illustration,FIG. 1pictorially shows a process for social interaction data preservation for augmented photos. As shown inFIG. 1, a social media site100accepts a posting by a user that includes an initial image130. A thread of responsive postings120to the initial image130are also received and displayed in the social media site100in connection with the initial image130. The user then selects a new image140N from amongst a selection150of images140A,140B,140N to replace the initial image130. It is then determined if the new image140N is similar to the initial image130, for instance if the new image140N is the same as the initial image130but inclusive of editorial corrections to portions of the initial image130such as a red-eye correction, or a change in exposure, brightness, sharpness tone, etc., or if the new image140N is within a threshold degree of similarity of the initial image130because the new image140N and the initial image are part of a sequence of images acquired in temporal proximity of one another such as in a burst mode of photography.

In this regard, image similarity may be determined by the computation of a signature for each of the new image140N and the initial image130and the comparison of the signatures. For instance, one way in which image similarity may be determined includes extracting one or more image features of each of the new image140N and the initial image130and computing a Euclidian distance between the image features with a shorter distance indicating image similarity. Another way in which image similarity may be determined includes computing a probability distribution for each of the new image140N and the initial image130and measuring a Manhattan or Euclidian distance between the probability functions. Alternatively, a catalog of recognized faces and positions of the faces in each of the new image140N and the initial image130may be compared.

If it is determined that the new image140N is similar to the initial image130, the initial image130is replaced in the social media site100with the new image140N. As well, the thread of responsive postings120is retained and displayed in the social media site100in connection with the new image140N. Otherwise, the initial image130is replaced in the social media site100with the new image140N. Furthermore, the thread of responsive postings120is discarded and no longer displayed in the social media site100in connection with the new image140N.

The process described in connection withFIG. 1is implemented in a social media data processing system. In further illustration,FIG. 2schematically illustrates a social media data processing system configured for social interaction data preservation for augmented photos. The system includes a host computing platform210including one or more computers, each with memory and at least one processor. The host computing platform210is communicatively coupled over computer communications network220to different computing clients230including one or more personal computers and one or more mobile devices in which respective social media clients240execute.

The host computing platform210supports the operation of a social media server250managing different social media postings260by different end users through the social media clients240. Each of the social media postings260includes a posted image280, and optionally textual commentary referring to the posted image280. A thread of responsive postings290also is included in each of the social media postings260, the thread of responsive postings290providing commentary in connection with a corresponding posted image280. Finally, a social interaction data preservation module300is coupled to the social media server250.

The social interaction data preservation module300includes program code that when executing in the memory of the host computing platform, is enabled to respond to a directive to replace an existing posted image280in a social media posting260with a different image. The directive may be manually specified by an end user electing to edit the social media posting260and then selecting the different image to replace the existing posted image280. Optionally, the directive may be automated in so far as the social media server250may automatically edit the posted image280to improve image quality thereby producing a different image, or the social media server250may automatically search for and locate a different image that is contextually comparable but of better image quality to the posted image280.

In either circumstance, the response by the program code of the social interaction data preservation module300to a directive to replace the existing posted image280in a social media posting260with the different image includes comparing the content of the existing posted image280and the different image in order to determine if the different image is similar in content to the posted image280. The determination of similarity may include determining whether the new image is within a threshold degree of similarity of the posted image. The determination of similarity may include detecting in the different image only a red-eye correction in the posted image280, or detecting in the different image only a change to the brightness or sharpness of the posted image280. A difference due to red-eye correction or a difference in brightness or sharpness may be within a similarity threshold in some embodiments. As well, the determination of similarity may be performed computationally by the processor of the host computing platform by comparing image signatures for the posted image280and the different image, for instance by comparing a set of extracted image features of the posted image280with a corresponding set of extracted image features of the different image.

The response by the program code in the event that the different image is determined to be similar to the posted image280includes replacing the posted image280with the different image, but preserving the corresponding thread290in connection with the different image. Otherwise, the response by the program code includes discarding, e.g., deleting from memory, the corresponding thread290when replacing the posted image280with the different image. In some embodiments, the posted image may be deleted from memory when the posted image is replaced with a different image. Accordingly, various embodiments may permit the social media server to operate with smaller memory requirements.

In even yet further illustration of the operation of the social interaction data preservation module300,FIG. 3is a flow chart illustrating a process for social interaction data preservation for augmented photos. Beginning in block310, the social media server250loads a social media posting that includes both an existing image and a thread of responsive postings. In block320, the social media server250selects the existing image for replacement with a new image. In block330, the social interaction data preservation module300compares the new image and the existing image. In decision block340, the social interaction data preservation module300determines if the new image and existing image are similar, for instance if the new image differs from the existing image only by a red-eye correction to the existing image, or if the new image differs from the existing image only by a change to the brightness or sharpness of the existing image. If not, in block350the social interaction data preservation module300removes the thread of responsive postings from the social media posting. In either case, in block360the social media server250replaces the existing image in the social media posting with the new image.

The present invention may be embodied within a system, a method, a computer program product or any combination thereof. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium or media having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention. The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.