Imagine you are using your PC and while you are doing so, you are in a particularly jovial mood. Your PC is able to ‘decipher’ this state of mind and this information then goes to online advertisers who then dish out happy-mood advertisement to you, thus mastering the art of effective marketing. Sound futuristic? A Microsoft patent application seems to be talking about this.
The patent application has been filed by Microsoft back in December 2010. It is probably an attempt to provide online advertisers with a more direct way of gauging the ‘profile’ of the user and then present him with the relevant ads.
The application shows a system where the online activity of the users can be monitored and then it can be associated with a certain ‘mood’ or tone. For instance, if you are visiting funny websites, the system will discern that you are in a good mood. On the contrary if you are listening break-up songs online, it probably means you are sad (unless you do that for fun).
In this way, the system will decipher your ‘mood’ and then enter this information to an online database containing user’s emotions profiles. Once the user’s information matches a certain mood profile, he will then be presented with the relevant ads.
What is the main problem with this whole model is that it infringes heavily upon user’s privacy. Not many users would want to have their online activity monitored or their emotional stated gauged by online advertisers. Let’s hope that patent applications remains just that, an application, and never sees the light of the day.
Source: USPTO
Courtesy: Engadget
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