Inferring social affinity based on interactions with search results

One or more non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions that are executable by one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining information derived from a search initiated by a first party, the information specifying i) particular content retrieved from one or more network resources identified by the search, the particular content associated with a subject, and ii) one or more interactions by the first party with the particular content;
• determining, based on the information, that an amount of the interaction of the first party with the particular content satisfies a threshold;
• in response to determining that the interaction of the first party with the particular content satisfies the threshold, identifying a second party that authored the particular content;
• determining that the first party has a pre-existing social connection with the second party in a social graph associated with the first party;
• in response to determining that the first party has the pre-existing social connection with the second party, adjusting, in the social graph associated with the first party, an affinity for the particular content associated with the second party with respect to the first party based on the amount of the interaction with the content authored by the second party;
• and
• updating search result rankings based on the affinity for the particular content to promote one or more first search results provided to the first party that contain additional content authored by the second party and ii) associated with the subject, while maintaining a ranking of one or more second search results provided to the first party that contain additional content i) authored by the second party and ii) independent of association with the subject.

A system comprising:

• non-transitory memory storing instructions that are executable;
• and
• one or more processing devices executing the instructions to perform operations comprising:
• obtaining information derived from a search initiated by a first party, the information specifying i) content retrieved from one or more network resources identified by the search, and ii) one or more interactions by the first party with the content;
• obtaining information derived from a search initiated by a first party, the information specifying i) particular content retrieved from one or more network resources identified by the search, the particular content associated with a subject, and ii) one or more interactions by the first party with the particular content;
• determining, based on the information, that an amount of the interaction of the first party with the particular content satisfies a threshold;
• in response to determining that the interaction of the first party with the particular content satisfies the threshold, identifying a second party that authored the particular content;
• determining that the first party has a pre-existing social connection with the second party in a social graph associated with the first party;
• in response to determining that the first party has the pre-existing social connection with the second party, adjusting, in the social graph associated with the first party, an affinity for the particular content associated with the second party with respect to the first party based on the amount of the interaction with the content authored by the second party;
• and
• updating search result rankings based on the affinity for the particular content to promote one or more first search results provided to the first party that contain additional content i) authored by the second party and ii) associated with the subject, while maintaining a ranking of one or more second search results provided to the first party that contain additional content i) authored by the second party and ii) independent of association with the subject.