The Employment of Deepfake Technology in Counter-Propaganda Campaigns during the 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections and the Elite's Evaluation of It: An Applied Study of Displayed Images and Videos:Displayed on the websites of Arabic-language news

 Recently, deepfakes have come to be known as a specter of media deception. Despite the longstanding nature of this communicative approach, the phenomenon of media fabrication and the production of fake content has become increasingly complex in today’s digital context. This has imposed new challenges on researchers interested in understanding how such transgressions mislead public opinion, scatter ideas, and create significant media obfuscation, especially in the political arena, particularly during election campaigns among opposing candidates. This modern technology has been exploited to create fake images and video clips of several celebrities, and at times, to fabricate false news. Therefore, this study aims to answer its primary question: How is deepfake technology employed in political advertising images and videos (for election campaigns) presented on Arabic-language news channels, and what are the elite’s attitudes toward it during the 2024 U.S. presidential elections?
This research belongs to descriptive studies and relies on a survey methodology, both field and analytical, utilizing a questionnaire for media and political elites, as well as a content analysis form for the websites of Arabic-language news channels (CNN, BBC, RT).
The key findings are as follows:
This technology is considered a poor advertising method in election campaigns.
Mockery and satire are the most common objectives in the use of deepfake images and videos.
Audio alignment ranked highest among the technical criteria for political advertising images and videos at a rate of 70.6%, highlighting the crucial role of sound in conveying messages and influencing viewers.
More than 40% of the content of deepfake images and videos on news channel websites is considered composite discourse and employs a direct approach, with over half of the content used for informational purposes.
There is a weak direct relationship between the use of deepfake techniques in counter-campaigns against presidential candidates and their impact on the electoral process; these techniques do not significantly affect the process.
There are no differences between the average confidence levels of elites regarding content presented through deepfake technology in counter-campaigns against candidates in the 2024 U.S. presidential elections, based on variables such as job nature, educational qualifications, and years of experience, indicating that demographic differences do not influence their confidence in deepfake content.
Key Recommendations:
These technologies are tools of fifth-generation warfare that could destroy entire nations, thus they should be internationally criminalized.
Establish official institutions dedicated to tracking fake content and promoting facts, similar to the successful independent attempts of agencies like Storyful, which specializes in content licensing and fact-checking.
Media literacy should be promoted among all community members regarding these technologies and how to detect methods of fabrication in the content they consume.