Japanese website ( 日本語 ) 
We are pleased to announce our first press release on Susumel® on Monday, May 31, 2021.
The following is the content of the press release
A new social networking system patented in Japan! Preparing to apply for a patent in the U.S. with an eye to global expansion.
Also started trial operation of prototype web version of “Susumeru®”.
Rakuraku Inc. (President: Suzuki Ryoichi, Head Office: 11-7 Nibancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) has been granted a domestic patent for a new SNS mechanism in Japan. Preparations are also underway to apply for a U.S. patent. We have also started trial operation of “Susumeru®” (https://susumeru.net/) to demonstrate the idea of the patent.
AI is used in “recommendation systems” that display recommended products and other information on Amazon, etc. However, the patent (Patent No. 6857932) obtained this time recognizes a very unique method that does not rely on AI.
It’s a system in which another user posts recommended information in response to a user’s review post. In other words, it’s a system in which recommended information is transmitted from person to person, and information and people are connected.
This mechanism can be applied to a wide range of content, from books, movies, news, restaurants, consumer electronics, fashion, and cosmetics.
In recent years, the “Echo Chamber” caused by AI recommendations is becoming a social problem.
This is a situation in which AI recommends only one’s preferred interests and opinions, which causes information of the same tendency to reverberate and amplify, as if one were in an echo chamber, and causes one to fall into a state of being disconnected from other information.
As traditional social networking sites become more popular, this “Echo Chamber” creates the illusion that the world is full of people with similar interests and opinions.
This makes it difficult for serendipity (chance encounters) through real human contact to occur, and society becomes increasingly fragmented.
I was concerned about this situation. Therefore, I invented the SNS “Susumeru®” as a means to escape from the control of AI algorithms and to regain “human contact”.
Futurist John Naisbitt once predicted the future, saying, “ Whenever a new technology is introduced into society, there must be a counterbalancing human response– that is, ‘high touch’ “. I believe we are now entering that very era.
We are also in the process of applying for a U.S. patent with a view to future global expansion.
Started trial operation of a prototype version of “Susumeru®”.
Currently, to demonstrate this patented idea, we have started test operation of “Susumeru®”, a social networking service for sharing book and movie reviews. (*Susumeru® is a registered trademark.)
・Susumeru®β version
https://susumeru.net/
Susumeru® has the following features
- SYou can post reviews of books and movies/shows.
- Movies and programs can be searched and posted from Amazon Prime, Netflix Original, and Hulu Original.
- The patented system can be used to post recommendations from one person to another.
- “Susumete Q” allows users to post questions and share them to external SNS.
- Able to share and save a list of works in a user’s library.
We will develop iOS and Android versions of the application and accelerate development toward the official launch.