Deepfakes and media literacy

With 40.8 million members of Gen Z now eligible to vote — including 8.3 million newly eligible since the 2022 midterms — the young generation is poised to make a huge impact on this year’s election. Since 90% of voter-age members of Gen Z use social media, they are likely to be receptive to political candidates with a strong presence on their favorite platforms, making online engagement a key strategy to win the ballot.

This year’s voters face an obstacle that hadn’t impacted politics until now — artificial intelligence (AI). Hundreds of “deepfakes,” or AI-generated content, have filtered into the algorithms of popular social media platforms including TikTok, X, and Instagram — and some even feature politicians.

In recent months, bizarre AI memes ranging from former president Donald Trump rescuing kittens to portraying Vice President Kamala Harris as the leader of a communist regime have become viral. But unlike previously, some of these memes have spilled out of the online world, becoming topics of discussion for candidates and even working their way into campaign narratives.

However, despite concerns on the fallout of viral AI deepfakes on the election, a report by the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas found that AI’s efforts to sway voter decisions had no clear influence on the outcomes.

Although high user engagement on AI-generated content hasn’t seen a measurable effect on voter outcomes, it still amplifies false narratives. With the prevalence of more realistic deepfakes, differentiating between the real and fake is becoming more challenging. The increasing potential for AI to spread misinformation accentuates the importance of digital fact-checking.

This prompts the question: Do young, relatively inexperienced voters have what it takes to navigate the deepfakes and pitfalls of the current-age internet? Sophomore Bruce Peters believes that they do — at least for now.

“I think from a very young age, [Gen Z has] just been instilled with skills to kind of help us navigate the Internet,” Peters said. “I remember even in kindergarten we’d [have] classes like be safe on the internet, and I feel like the majority of our generation is safe.”

But adults have valid concerns about students’ media literacy — according to a Stanford study, 82% of teenagers couldn’t tell the difference between real and fake news. Despite these concerns, Advanced Placement (AP) World History and Government teacher Joshua Gnass believes in students’ ability to navigate the online world safely.

“I think we sometimes think kids are ignorant and foolish and they don’t know how to use things,” Gnass said. “Most students understand that you can’t believe everything you’re given on the internet.”

The influence of social media advertising will only grow as younger, more internet-literate generations become eligible voters. Online consumers are likely to shape the political landscape for years to come.

“This is one of the big elections that [Gen Z] can vote in,” Peters said. “A good amount of Gen Z is starting to get to that age, and especially by the next election, we will all mostly be able to vote. As more people start to [meet] the voting age, I think we’re going to see a lot more advertising on social media.”