[Also on Medium]
If you should believe the media, Deepfakes equals the end of days. Fake news, fake evidence, this technology will create a world of disbelief, blackmail,… trust goes out the window, we’re all doomed. Period.
The media likes to scare us, as, well, scary stories sell. And for once, it might actually help get the positive message across.There’s a way to use Deepfakes for good, and I’m not just talking about my wife on the Tonight show.
We believe everything
Whether it’s the news, a magazine, a book, gossip, it’s all just words, spread around, by friends or “reliable” sources. And we (should) all know to take everything we hear and read with a grain of salt. Yet, we let them lead our thoughts and our beliefs, which influence important life choices such as who we vote for, who we love, who we hate. Words are the most easily manipulated form of message (why not buy a book on how to manipulate people). And still, millions of people live by words that cannot be proven to be true, on a daily basis, and would even give their lives for them.
Roswell’s Flying Saucer 1947
Trump & Saruman
We must become more aware
Fake news is a big topic. While we know in our hearts never to trust politicians and news outlets, we still do, we still believe every word they say but go crazy when we finally find out it’s all lies. We don’ blame ourselves, though.
Deepfakes just added another level of worries. Video can be faked?.. Is anything we see and hear real anymore?
No. Nothing is. Just as you shouldn’t believe every single word on tv, in the newspaper or [insert your favorite religious book here], video is just another medium ready to be manipulated.
But don’t blame Deepfakes. Don’t demonise the technology. Thank Deepfakes!
Think about this: If someone was able to create this technology in their bedroom throwing together a bunch of existing tools, someone with a bigger budget must have pulled it off a long time ago. There’s no doubt large organisations with massive resources haven’t explored these techniques. Who knows, maybe we’ve seen some of their work, on the news, without knowing it.
So thank Deepfakes, for making us aware of this, making us realise once again that we can’t take everything we see and hear for granted. For creating a problem for us to solve, early on, before it becomes so big, and has influenced so many of us incorrectly, that it’s too late.
It will take time. A new skill we must all learn. So doubt that next video you see on the Internet. Hell, doubt everything you see, read, or hear. Be more critical! Think for yourself.
