Relationship-based search and recommendations via authenticated negatives

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to perform an operation, the operation comprising:

• receiving, from a first client device, a first selection of a first recommended item included in a plurality of recommended items presented on the first client device for streaming to the first client device over a network, wherein each of the plurality of recommended items is tagged with a user identifier associated with a user of the first client device;
• identifying a second recommended item included in the plurality of recommended items that has not been selected for presentation by the user of the first client device, wherein the second recommended item is marked as an item that has not been selected for presentation by the user of the first client device;
• retrieving an authenticated negative item from a plurality of authenticated negative items not included in the plurality of recommended items, wherein the plurality of authenticated negative items are not presented on the first client device and are associated with content deemed to be undesirable by one or more users other than the user of the first client device;
• tagging the authenticated negative item with the user identifier associated with the user of the first client device;
• marking the authenticated negative item as an item that has not been selected by the user of the first client device;
• storing in a digital log file one or more entries associated with a presentation of the plurality of recommended items on the first client device, wherein each of the one or more entries includes the user identifier associated with the user of the first client device, and wherein at least one of the one or more entries identifies the authenticated negative item tagged with the user identifier and marked as an item that has not been selected;
• and
• generating a second plurality of recommended items for presentation on the first client device based at least on the one or more entries stored in the digital log file.

A computing device, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory to:
• receive, from a first client device, a first selection of a first recommended item included in a plurality of recommended items presented on the first client device for streaming to the first client device over a network, wherein each of the plurality of recommended items is tagged with a user identifier associated with a user of the first client device, and
• identify a second recommended item included in the plurality of recommended items that has not been selected for presentation by the user of the first client device, wherein the second recommended item is marked as an item that has not been selected for presentation by the user of the first client device,
• retrieve an authenticated negative item from a plurality of authenticated negative items not included in the plurality of recommended items, wherein the plurality of authenticated negative items are not presented on the first client device and are associated with content deemed to be undesirable by one or more users other than the user of the first client device,
• tag the authenticated negative item with the user identifier associated with the user of the first client device,
• mark the authenticated negative item as an item that has not been selected by the user of the first client device,
• store in a digital log file one or more entries associated with a presentation of the plurality of recommended items on the first client device, wherein each of the one or more entries includes the user identifier associated with the user of the first client device, and wherein at least one of the one or more entries identifies the authenticated negative item tagged with the user identifier and marked as an item that has not been selected, and
• generate a second plurality of recommended items for presentation on the first client device based at least on the one or more entries stored in the digital log file.