Detecting and mitigating bias in social media

Social media is an important data source. Every day, billions of posts, likes, and connections are created by people around the globe. By monitoring it we can observe important topics, as well as find new topics of discussion as they emerge. However, within this source of information there are natural forms of bias. Different aspects of the sites lend themselves to bias, such as varying features that restrict users. Additionally, the users themselves can be biased, such as the age-bias found in Twitter users. Finally, the way sites divulge their data can cause bias to those studying information produced on that site. In this forum we will discuss the different types of bias that can occur on social media data as well as different strategies to mitigate that bias.