By Rebecca Avusu, Penplusbytes
A friend once sent me a video of a famous public figure saying something outrageous. In the clip, he stood behind a podium, speaking to a crowd with serious conviction: “We’re scrapping the Free SHS policy.”
The video was barely a minute long, but its message hit hard. It looked authentic. The voice matched. The expressions were natural. Even the background noise of clapping supporters added to the realism. My friend’s message came with a punch: “Can you believe this?”
I paused. Something didn’t feel right. I replayed the clip. Looked closely at the mouth movements. Listened again to the audio. There was no obvious glitch. But deep down, my gut whispered: This isn’t real. So, I searched online for the full speech. Sure enough, I found the original version. The public figure had said something entirely different. The clip had been selectively edited and enhanced to deceive.
I was right.
It was a deepfake.
What is a Deepfake: A video, image, or audio recording that has been digitally altered—often using artificial intelligence—to make someone appear to say or do something they never did. A few years ago, deepfakes were easy to spot. With the current AI boom, it has become increasingly difficult to detect. With a few dollars, malicious actors can purchase powerful tools and post-processing effects to mask obscure traditional markers used to detect such fabrications.
Welcome to the world where seeing is no longer believing.
The Rise of the Unreal
Picture this: a video of a world leader backing a cryptocurrency, a celebrity endorsing a product they are not associated with, or a public health expert advising dangerous remedies. All convincing. All fake.
Deepfakes—AI-generated images, videos, or audio designed to look and sound real—are no longer science fiction. They are being weaponized to manipulate public opinion, rewrite narratives, and fracture societies. What used to take Hollywood-level budgets can now be done with a smartphone and the right app for cheap.
But deepfakes are just the sharp tip of a broader, blunter spear: disinformation.
Disinformation refers to false or misleading information that is deliberately created and spread to deceive or manipulate people.
Disinformation isn’t just something “out there” on the internet. It spreads in our group chats, our timelines, and our family WhatsApp groups. It plays on our emotions—fear, anger, hope, loyalty—and hijacks our good intentions.
From fake news articles to deceptive memes, disinformation spreads across social media platforms like wildfire, often fanned by algorithms that prioritize engagement over accuracy. It’s emotional, polarizing, and highly shareable—exactly the kind of content that gains traction in today’s media ecosystem.
Why It Matters
This isn’t just about people being fooled. It is about lives being lost during pandemics because of fake cures. It is about elections being swayed by false narratives. It is about communities turning against each other, fueled by hate speech and lies.
In new media spaces, where the lines between opinion and fact are increasingly blurred, the battle for truth has become personal, political, and pressing.
But here’s the good news: We’re not powerless.
What We Can Do
Let’s talk solutions—practical, human, and doable.
- Strengthen Media Literacy
There is the need to teach people not just how to consume media, but how to analyse it. Question sources. Reverse search images. Spot emotional manipulation. We need to empower everyone—students, parents, young people, professionals—to critically assess what they consume and share online.
- Support Independent Fact-Checkers
Platforms, governments, and civil society need to fund, promote, and protect fact-checkers. And we, as users, need to follow, contribute to support and amplify their work.
- Demand Accountability from Tech Companies
Social media platforms cannot be neutral in this fight. They must invest in better detection tools, enforce community standards, and be transparent about how their algorithms work.
- Leverage Strategic Communication
We can’t just react to falsehoods—we need to proactively flood the space with clear, compelling, truthful content. From governments to grassroots campaigns, strategic communication must be intentional, timely, and tailored.
- Humanize the Truth
Let’s stop preaching facts like robots. Truth needs a story. A face. A heartbeat. We must communicate with empathy, nuance, and creativity. It’s not just about what is true—it’s about why it matters to real people.
Conclusion
This battle for truth is not just for journalists, activists, NGOs or tech giants. It is for all of us.
Every share, every click, every comment is a small but powerful act of civic responsibility which shouldn’t be wasted promoting falsehood. In a world of manufactured realities, choosing truth is revolutionary.
So here’s the ask: Be a truth ambassador. Speak up when you see disinformation. Educate your circles. Support ethical media and demand better from those who shape the digital spaces we live in.
Because truth still matters.
And we still have the power to protect it.
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