It is common for people to exhibit bias toward other persons or objects. Bias refer to an illogical or prejudicial inclination or partiality to a particular side, and may be a positive bias in favor of, or negative bias against, that side. An example of this is when a first individual reacts differently to a particular viewpoint depending on the individual expressing that viewpoint. For instance, the first individual agrees with a second individual expressing the viewpoint but reacts differently (e.g. disagrees) when that viewpoint is expressed by a third individual. The first individual may actively support the activity or expression of the second individual but react differently when a third individual engages in an activity or expression with similar or the same contextual meaning as the activity or expression of the second individual. Here, the first individual has exhibited bias in favor of the second individual and against the third individual. Bias can be exhibited toward any of various things including people, such as famous, powerful or popular celebrities or public figures, products, political parties, objects, and offerings, as examples. The bias may stem from a particular underlying consideration, such as a relationship type (e.g. family, friends, etc.) between the individuals, strength of the relationship, fear, reputation or status of one of the individuals, and so on.
Bias is sometimes exhibited by individuals online, such as in content posted to social networks. Remarks, comments, responses, and other social network posts may include some degree of bias, which may be unrecognizable when taken on its face. Consequently, these posts can give social network users a misleading view of the social content.