Deepfakes, unfortunately, are not just a technological novelty—they may be changing our relationship with the media.
But how exactly are deepfakes impacting public confidence in the media, and what can we do to counter this increasing threat?
Deepfakes are impacting trust in the media by fueling misinformation and societal polarization. One important way to address these challenges is through enhanced deepfake detection and verification methods.
Importance of media trust in the digital age
Trust in media is crucial for a functioning society and democracy, ensuring that individuals are informed and can engage in civic discourse. Unfortunately, trust in media is at an all-time low.
According to the perceived objectivity of the mass media 2023 report, only 7% of U.S. adults who responded have a “great deal” of trust in mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly. Even more concerning, 39% of respondents said they did not trust the media at all—a new time high since 2016.
How we consume information in the deepfake era
Nowadays, our information ecosystems are constantly infiltrated by deepfakes, from social media channels to video platforms. This proliferation of deepfakes often goes unrecognized in these channels.
In our report with Voicebot.ai, over 2,000 U.S. consumers were surveyed about their knowledge and feelings about deepfake and voice cloning technology. One of the main findings was that 90% of the participants expressed concerns about the technology. Other significant findings include:
- Awareness of deepfakes across social media channels was slightly higher than voice clones.
- The sentiment towards deepfakes was polarized, with 22.3% expressing extremely positive and negative views each, and 11.8% remaining neutral.
- Awareness of deepfakes and voice clones declines with age, with those over 60 dropping in awareness quite dramatically.
- Concern about deepfakes and voice clones rises with income.
Explore further insights into the consumer sentiment regarding deepfakes and voice clones. Get the complete report.
The deceptive power of deepfake technology
Deepfake technology can convincingly replicate voices, faces, and even entire conversations. Notable examples include:
- Elon Musk’s cryptocurrency scam
- Robocall with deepfake of President Biden
- Deepfake parody video of VP Kamala Harris
Whether used for entertainment or malicious intent, the implications can be far-reaching, from personal reputation damage to political manipulation.
8 ways deepfakes are undermining media credibility
1. Spread of misinformation
Deepfakes enable the rapid spread of misinformation, especially in the media. This ability to precisely manipulate video and audio poses a significant threat to public opinion.
Deepfakes make verifying the content’s authenticity extremely difficult, posing challenges that are exacerbated if the content goes viral.
2. Undermining public confidence
Viewers, listeners, and readers increasingly question the authenticity of the information they receive due to the growing sophistication of deepfake software and its often malicious use.
As trust in the media diminishes, so does public engagement in civic activities. This decline can have severe repercussions for democratic participation and other societal needs.
3. Damage to reputations
High-profile individuals like politicians, celebrities, or people in high positions within their organizations can be heavily targeted by deepfakes. A deepfake attack can harm the brand reputation for any type of business.
It’s also essential to highlight how harmful deepfakes can be for individuals. The damages can be irreversible whether they’re in a high-ranking position or are regular people. Primarily because deepfake attacks unfortunately target mainly women, teenagers, and children.
4. Political manipulation
One of the ways deepfakes have been weaponized is for political campaigns. This increasingly threatens the integrity of elections and undermines public trust in democratic institutions. It also targets older generations or groups with less knowledge about the technology.
5. Threat to journalistic integrity and ethics
Journalists face an unprecedented challenge in verifying information, fact-checking, sourcing, and upholding the principles of integrity and ethics in reporting. Deepfakes blur the lines between reality and fiction, making their jobs more difficult.
6. Fueling conspiracy Theories
Deepfakes provide fertile ground for conspiracy theories. They can involve manipulated videos and images supporting false, misleading, and often delusional narratives that further divide society and ignore logic. This problem is also driving a push for media literacy education.
7. Creating a “post-truth” environment
In a “post-truth” society, facts become negotiable, and public discourse is no longer grounded in reality. Instead, individuals are more likely to trust information that aligns with their pre-existing opinions, regardless of its veracity.
Deepfakes fuel this trend by enabling the creation of false narratives that can reinforce biases and manipulate emotions. Deepfakes make it nearly impossible for the average person to discern fact from fiction.
8. Manipulation of public opinion
Fake news is a significant problem in society, both nationally and internationally. It manipulates public opinion and exacerbates complex societal issues by distorting perceptions and influencing critical decisions.
Deepfakes are making this issue even worse by accelerating societal polarization, as manipulated content often contains bias, further dividing public opinion.
The future of media trust in a deepfake world
While the future of media trust may seem bleak, there is hope. More and more countries are heavily looking into creating legislation against deepfake software. Additionally, people are increasingly becoming more aware of the dangers and informing themselves.
The continued development of deepfake detection tools, such as Pindrop® Pulse™ Inspect, offers a solution for identifying deepfakes and AI-generated or synthetic audio content.
Take proactive steps in restoring trust in media
Restoring trust in the media requires a multifaceted approach. At Pindrop, we are leading the way in the fight against digital deception by developing cutting-edge solutions.
As we continue to battle deepfakes, media outlets, and the public must proactively verify content and promote media literacy.
Tools like Pindrop® Pulse™ Inspect are at the forefront of this effort, helping you detect and prevent the spread of manipulated media, all while enhancing the integrity of your audio content.
