Brave — the upstart ad-blocking web browser — has been working on a new in-browser feature where users can directly tip other Reddit and Twitter users directly with their native BAT token. The release is scheduled for Q4 2018 and will be a valuable experiment for the potential success of micro tips on major social media platforms.

Brave Browser has been highly relevant in both the cryptocurrency ecosystem and mainstream news cycle recently. Brave CEO, Brendan Eich, recently wrote to the U.S. Senate about creating GDPR style privacy policies in the U.S. and even recently filed an adtech complaint against Google and other digital advertising firms in Ireland and Britain.

Early-Stage Micropayments for Social Media

Brave’s goal towards redefining the online advertising campaign is undoubtedly an ambitious one. Their model and subsequent features of their platform are uniquely enabled through the browser’s integration with its BAT token and anonymous blockchain for payments to flow from users directly to content creators, advertisers, and publishers.

BAT payments typically are small and automated based on user preferences and where their attention is focused during their online browsing. Incorporating small payments for social media platforms in the form of a tipping mechanism has been floated in the cryptocurrency community for a while. Reddcoin was built on the premise of using a cryptocurrency for automated micropayments to social media influencers.

However, Brave and its BAT token have a distinct advantage in that payment functionality is built directly into the browser. The tipping mechanism would work as a simple certificate popup where users can select the amount to tip and payment is automatically deducted from the integrated BAT wallet in the browser.

Similar to how payments can be automated to specific websites that users automate monthly micropayments to based on their attention, users may eventually be able to automate micropayments to their favorite social influencers.

For content creators and popular social media influencers, this is an entirely new avenue for generating revenue. Social media tipping may even be potentially lucrative for figures with millions of followers if adoption of the Brave Browser becomes more widespread.

Brave’s Current Popularity

Several notable institutions such as the Washington Post and Guardian are registered as publishers with Brave. BAT tokens flow directly to these organizations from their readers based on their attention spent on their news platforms.

BAT payments are also increasingly popular with Youtubers and Twitch streamers who can receive payments directly from their followers rather than relying on inefficient ad models employed by the likes of Google and Facebook.

Brave also recently released the most current version of their browser, which enhances some privacy features and is substantially faster than earlier versions. Brave surpassed 10 million active Android users in August earlier this year, and its BAT token has one of the most compelling practical use cases out of any altcoin.

The launch of Brave’s micropayment tipping mechanism for Twitter and Reddit should provide a useful test for measuring the popularity of tipping mechanisms as a new social media feature. Moreover, it can offer an insight into curiosity about the BAT token and cryptocurrencies in general, granting a much wider audience exposure to decentralized payment solutions should it become a preferred revenue stream for well-known content creators and social media influencers.