Everyday encounters with deepfakes: young people’s media and information literacy practices with AI-generated media
Lao, Yucong; Hirvonen, Noora; Larsson, Stefan (2025-05-08)
Emerald
08.05.2025
Lao, Y., Hirvonen, N. and Larsson, S. (2025), "Everyday encounters with deepfakes: young people’s media and information literacy practices with AI-generated media", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 81 No. 7, pp. 216-235. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-01-2025-0007.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© 2025, Yucong Lao, Noora Hirvonen and Stefan Larsson. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© 2025, Yucong Lao, Noora Hirvonen and Stefan Larsson. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202505193608
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202505193608
Tiivistelmä
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to contribute to the knowledge related to youth’s media and information literacy (MIL) practices when encountering artificial intelligence (AI)-generated media in their everyday life. It specifically examines young people’s engagement with and understanding of deepfakes, seeking to explore their practices for navigating deepfakes in a daily setting.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing a qualitative research strategy, in-depth interviews were conducted to collect empirical material from 20 young participants aged 14–15 years. The empirical data were coded both inductively and deductively, leading to the identification of young people’s doings and sayings as they encounter, respond to and understand deepfakes.
Findings
The findings highlight the young participants’ serendipitous exposure to, and subsequent engagement with, deepfake content in their everyday lives, particularly through the situations, platforms and types of content in which these encounters occurred. While interaction with deepfake content was mostly characterized as casual, there are also more active responses to encountering deepfakes. Additionally, the results shed light on the participants’ understandings of deepfakes, particularly in terms of content creation, societal impact and underlying AI techniques. This understanding is proposed as a critical sub-element within the MIL framework in this study.
Originality/value
This study stresses the complexities of young people’s everyday MIL practices with emerging media, pointing to the inherent challenges they face in navigating an increasingly complicated information landscape.
Purpose
This research aims to contribute to the knowledge related to youth’s media and information literacy (MIL) practices when encountering artificial intelligence (AI)-generated media in their everyday life. It specifically examines young people’s engagement with and understanding of deepfakes, seeking to explore their practices for navigating deepfakes in a daily setting.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing a qualitative research strategy, in-depth interviews were conducted to collect empirical material from 20 young participants aged 14–15 years. The empirical data were coded both inductively and deductively, leading to the identification of young people’s doings and sayings as they encounter, respond to and understand deepfakes.
Findings
The findings highlight the young participants’ serendipitous exposure to, and subsequent engagement with, deepfake content in their everyday lives, particularly through the situations, platforms and types of content in which these encounters occurred. While interaction with deepfake content was mostly characterized as casual, there are also more active responses to encountering deepfakes. Additionally, the results shed light on the participants’ understandings of deepfakes, particularly in terms of content creation, societal impact and underlying AI techniques. This understanding is proposed as a critical sub-element within the MIL framework in this study.
Originality/value
This study stresses the complexities of young people’s everyday MIL practices with emerging media, pointing to the inherent challenges they face in navigating an increasingly complicated information landscape.
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