Hurrikan Helene Deepfakes überschwemmten soziale Medien und verletzten echte Menschen

The sheer fuckin’ irony of using ChatGPT to write a story about AI-generated images. You be the judge…

>The Problem with Fake Images During Disasters

>Repeated exposure to fake content can erode public trust in legitimate news and information sources. When people repeatedly encounter false images, they begin to question all media, including accurate and necessary disaster updates.

>Further, fake images can be a trojan horse for cyberattacks, often being shared in conjunction with phishing links or scam fundraising campaigns. Unsuspecting individuals are lured into contributing funds or providing personal details to malicious actors under the guise of helping those affected by disasters.

>The Psychological Toll of Fake Images

>The repeated exposure to fake content during disasters creates an emotional whiplash. People experience initial shock or sadness when they see images of devastation or distress, but when those images are debunked, it leads to feelings of betrayal, confusion or anger. This cycle can quickly wear down our ability to engage emotionally with real crises.

>The Exhaustion of Verification

>In the past, people could see an image of a disaster and instantly react, whether by donating, sharing it or sympathizing with those affected. Today, with so much misinformation floating around, even this simple act of caring comes with the extra step of verification.

>Before reacting, people now need to check if the image is real, where it comes from and whether it’s been manipulated. This constant mental effort adds a layer of fatigue, and many simply disengage, feeling it’s easier to not care than to wade through the sea of misinformation.

>The Desensitization Effect

>Every time a person learns that an image they were emotionally invested in is fake, it chips away at their compassion. People don’t like feeling duped, and once they’ve been misled a few times, they can begin to doubt everything they see.

>This skepticism makes it harder to summon genuine care during real disasters, as the fear of being fooled again overshadows the desire to help. Over time, they begin to tune out, treating every new disaster with a degree of emotional distance, unsure if it’s real or just another hoax.

>Too Much Effort to Believe

>Belief, particularly in times of crisis, should be simple. We should be able to see images and news reports of disasters and trust that they are accurate representations of what’s happening.

>However, the proliferation of fake images during events like Hurricane Helene has made this once-simple process far more complicated. A handful of bad actors can have an oversized impact by creating and sharing deepfakes that go viral.

>Fake Images Hurt Real People

>It now takes effort to decide whether to trust or engage with content. This effort can create problematic reactions that are detrimental to the individual and the collective.

Time to flood the internet with bullshit right before the election.