The term cheap fake is defined as a form of media manipulation that creates content which appears authentic and real at first glance, even though it is not. Although the definition is very similar to deepfake technology, the fundamental difference lies in the fact that creating deepfake content requires advanced knowledge, skills, and sophisticated tools, while cheap fake content can be easily created using accessible technological tools. It is precisely the ease of creating and shaping manipulative content with the help of cheap fake technology that makes it a dangerous tool, due to the possibility of rapidly and widely distributing false content without significant financial investment or advanced knowledge. With cheap fake, photos can be altered, reconstructed, or manipulated using tools like Photoshop, as well as video recordings.
In today’s world, where digital technology plays a central role, special attention must be paid to the content and applications that children and young people use and explore in their free time. One of the biggest issues among children and adolescents is peer bullying, which has expanded into the online space, with one form of cyberbullying among youth being based on the use of cheap fake. Cyberbullying involves using the internet and various digital technology products to spread hatred, insult, and belittle other users, and similar actions. Social networks, aside from being a new form of entertainment, have also become places where content aimed at spreading intolerance, misunderstanding, and hatred is often found. Cheap fake technology has enabled anyone to easily, without large financial expenditures or sophisticated technology, create and share false content designed to deceive and manipulate the public, or to portray individuals or events in a negative light. Moreover, such content is especially harmful to children and young people and can negatively affect their development. It is extremely important to continuously educate and inform children about potential dangers lurking on the internet, and to encourage the development of critical thinking, as well as media and digital literacy.
Test your knowledge of cheap fake technology:
The goal of this quiz is to help platform users learn what cheap fake technology is.
This quiz was developed as part of the project “Improving the Culture of Fact-Checking” carried out by HUOJ in collaboration with media experts from Lider Media and the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb, with financial support from the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
