Published January 21, 2025 | Version v1
Presentation Open

The role of narratives in the weaponisation of deepfakes

  • 1. ROR icon University of Tartu
  • 2. ROR icon University of Turin

Description

The explosive popularity of deepfakes since 2023 is raising various concerns about the resilience of democracy and the impending “epistemic apocalypse” where society loses trust in information per se. But contrary to popular beliefs and many opinions shared in public and academic discourses, the most profound impact of the deepfake lies not in the technology itself but the narratives surrounding the use cases of deepfakes. The functioning and impact of narratives, however, is not something unprecedented. Much research has already been done in this regard throughout history. Therefore, research on narrative and cognition is timelier than ever, as it helps understand the universal and historical cultural patterns around our perception of information, its weaponisation mechanisms and possible impact thereof.

Files

Viidalepp 2025 The role of narratives in the weaponisation of deepfakes.pdf