Adjusting news accuracy perceptions after deepfakes exposure: Evidence from a non-Western context

Empirical studies examining if and how deepfakes would evoke news skepticism and discredit social trust in societies with low levels of digital literacy are limited. Recognizing the gap in the literature, this study conducts a survey experiment in India. We test whether individuals adjust their perceptions of news accuracy after being exposed to a deepfake about the subject of the news. Furthermore, we examine if cognitive ability will play a critical role in distinguishing how participants readjust their perceptions of news accuracy. In line with the propositions, we find that those exposed to a malicious deepfake video are primed to lower their initial positive news accuracy perceptions (featuring the subject) than those exposed to an informational video (featuring the subject). We also observe that the adjustments of news accuracy perceptions after being exposed to a deepfake are not dependent on the cognitive ability of social media news users. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our work.