Video from CNBC News
The Attack on Truth and "Deepfake" Technology!
Deepfake technology will make you question what's real | CNBC Reports
Back in 1992, writer Neal Postman released a book entitled " Technopoly". His concern was America had become the world's first "totalitarian technocracy" or technopoly. Tools ultimately attack the culture in Postman's view, and tools win when they start to determine what culture does. Tools then define what we do and eventually determine society's purpose and meaning. Postman goes on to say in a "Technopoly" there is no sense of transcendent purpose or cultural meaning. Postman describes modern bureaucracy, including concepts of worker " management," intellectually hollow social "science" and its spin-offs poll-taking/IQ testing, TV, and the computer "culture" all are technologies that are without a moral center.
That was then (1992) this is now. What we are seeing today is advanced computer technology (not new) that can make us believe that what are seeing is something else entirely. He also points out how "the Enlightenment" so pushed empiricism to the point of making all authorities unreliable and therefore if nothing could be proven then it was discounted. Empirical morality evolved out of this into a circular logic in which we are trying to fix the problems of life with technology, problems created originally by the technology itself.
What is true or true is relative and uncertain with now even photos and videos being manipulated to fake reality.
We all have heard of fake news and I for one am tired of hearing it being bantered about whenever some hears an opinion etc. they disagree with it. A new layer has been added called "deepfake".
"What is a deepfake? The term deepfake melds two words: deep and fake. It combines the concept of machine or deep learning with something that isn’t real.
Deepfakes are artificial images and sounds put together with machine-learning algorithms. A deepfake creator uses deepfake technology to manipulate media and replace a real person’s image, voice, or both with similar artificial likenesses or voices.
You can think of deepfake technology as an advanced form of photo-editing software that makes it easy to alter images.
But deepfake technology goes a lot further in how it manipulates visual and audio content. For instance, it can create people who don’t exist. Or it can make it appear to show real people saying and doing things they didn’t say or do.
As a result, deep fake technology can be used as a tool to spread misinformation." from the article: Deepfakes: What they are and why they’re threatening
I grew up in the 1960-80's in which it was very difficult to fake news or videos etc. But today technology is so normative that almost anything you read, watch or hear can be faked, and often is. What is developing in our society is a deep suspicion of everything. Skepticism is accelerating, and tribalism in conjunction with political bifurcation is increasing. People are assuming their “enemies” are constantly deceiving them, and people on “their side” with their opinions are the only ones that can be trusted.
Deepfake technology will distort reality allowing people to do many more morally corrupt and sinful deeds with little or no repercussions.
You and I are living through an unprecedented rejection of truth in all of life. As Christians, we must remain vigilant and aware of the deepfakes, social media, and other sources of unreality.
History has shown us and God has warned us we cannot live without truth and transcendent meaning in our lives.