Curating the Visual Internet

Curating the Visual Internet

LOS ANGELES — The explosion of photographs available online in recent years is causing a rethinking of how this information is discovered and presented, leading to the emergence of “The Visual Internet.”

Blame it on the popularity of smartphones and the ease by which photos can be snapped and shared using these ubiquitous devices that are always present with us, but photography is skyrocketing, with an estimated trillion plus photos already taken in 2015 — a figure that reportedly exceeds the total number of photos taken throughout history until now.

Today, technologists are seeking ways to curate, discover and search these pictures, while discovering the insights they might reveal when connected together in innovative ways.

“The Internet, at 25 years old, has more than a billion connected sites. However impressive, it pales in comparison to the 4.7 trillion photos (in the last few years) that have documented our lives, aspirations, feelings and creativity,” Flipsicle co-founder Raghava KK wrote for TechCrunch, adding that “It’s time for the emergence of a visual Internet [which] differs from a semantic one.”

Raghava compares this situation to the language of artists, who might see a photo as being multivalent, or representing different things to different people.

“Artists see visuals as both windows and mirrors. A visual window allows us to look into a photo to see what’s inside: a dog, a tree, a beach, etc. The visual mirror, however, reflects the biases we bring to the visual,” Raghava explains. “A visual Internet builds connections between photos, both as windows and mirrors. It will comprehend what’s in the photo and guess how a viewer may interpret it.”

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) will allow an analysis of these images to reveal subjective meanings, but it is a challenging process, since much of an image’s meaning to a viewer is subconscious and not easily measured by current computing techniques.

The use of new interface metaphors may provide a workaround, however.

“Early in the Internet years, an interface was about beauty, whereas now it concerns relevance, behavior and choice,” Raghava notes. “With good user interface, we can model simple human behavior to see how people subconsciously react to any photo. Tinder’s swipe is a great example.”

Raghava says that while big data can cluster people based on their subconscious reactions to a photo, new interfaces that collect information based on a user’s passive browsing will unleash the power of the visual Internet.

“For me, art and tech are two eyes on the same body. Open one eye and view this beautiful world of ours. Open the other and you envision a richness you can’t articulate,” Raghava concludes. “Brought together — the objective and the subjective — they hand us immensely rich insights into who we are and how we think.”

Of course, porn will find a way into all of this. With countless adult oriented images among the total mass of online visual imagery, and a highly competitive marketplace, any technology that helps surface relevant content is sure to be on promoters’ radars, so it’s only a matter of time until a measure of the viewer’s emotion when seeing a specific image will be added into the equation of what he will see next...

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Show More