Citation

Ahmed S. Asian J. Commun. 2023; 33(3): 308-331.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Centre, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/01292986.2023.2194886

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Deepfakes have a pernicious realism advantage over other common forms of disinformation, yet little is known about how citizens perceive deepfakes. Using the third-person effects framework, this study is one of the first attempts to examine public perceptions of deepfakes. Evidence across three studies in the US and Singapore supports the third-person perception (TPP) bias, such that individuals perceived deepfakes to influence others more than themselves (Study 1-3). The same subjects also show a bias in perceiving themselves as better at discerning deepfakes than others (Study 1-3). However, a deepfakes detection test suggests that the third-person perceptual gaps are not predictive of the real ability to distinguish fake from real (Study 3). Furthermore, the biases in TPP and self-perceptions about their own ability to identify deepfakes are more intensified among those with high cognitive ability (Study 2-3). The findings contribute to third-person perception literature and our current understanding of citizen engagement with deepfakes.

Language: en

Keywords

cognitive ability; deep fakes; Deepfakes; first-person perception; third-person perception