Confronting bias in the online representation of pregnancy

Abstract

This article interrogates platform-specific bias in the contemporary algorithmic media landscape through a comparative study of the representation of pregnancy on the Web and social media. Online visual materials such as social media content related to pregnancy are not void of bias, nor are they very diverse. The case study is a cross-platform analysis of social media imagery for the topic of pregnancy, through which distinct visual platform vernaculars emerge. The authors describe two visualization methods that can support comparative analysis of such visual vernaculars: the image grid and the composite image. While platform-specific perspectives range from lists of pregnancy tips on Pinterest to pregnancy information and social support systems on Twitter, and pregnancy humour on Reddit, each of the platforms presents a predominantly White, able-bodied and heteronormative perspective on pregnancy.

Digital culture meets data: Critical perspectives

“…Bias is a main theme investigated by authors here. Loes Bogers et al (2020) examine algorithmic bias using pregnancy representations as a case study, while Andrea Rosales and Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol (2020) analyze ageism in platforms.…”

“…Bias is a main theme investigated by authors here. Loes Bogers et al (2020) examine algorithmic bias using pregnancy representations as a case study, while Andrea Rosales and Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol (2020) analyze ageism in platforms. In their article, Xerxes Minocher and Caelyn Randall (2020) argue that the racial bias that has historically informed police practices, particularly in certain areas in the United States, has become encoded in predictive policing systems.…”

“…Analyzing Google search results and social media platforms, Bogers and colleagues (2020) found that pregnancy-related information is largely normative, and in fact in many cases biased. Building on this understanding, and using an intersectional approach, they discuss platform-specific vernaculars that represent pregnancy differently and how these representations are co-constituted by user behavior and platform algorithms.…”

“…Building on this understanding, and using an intersectional approach, they discuss platform-specific vernaculars that represent pregnancy differently and how these representations are co-constituted by user behavior and platform algorithms. Adding to discussions about methods, Bogers and colleagues (2020) introduce two visualization methods used in their comparative analysis: the image grid and the composite image.…”

“…Through this analysis, they show how cultural and social values that prioritize the needs of young people and disregard diversity shape data technologies. The articles by both Bogers et al (2020) and Rosales and Fernández-Ardèvol (2020) add to scholarly work that reflects on the dynamic relationship between culture and the production of data technologies and the problematic ways in which racism, misogyny, and heteronormativity can be reinforced through technology design (see Benjamin, 2019; Buolamwini, 2017; Hoffmann, 2019; Keyes, 2018; Noble, 2018).…”