Virginia Tech experts recommend factchecking viral images before sharing on social media

During a weather disaster like Hurricane Helene, social media users often share images of the destruction and links to donate to help the victims.

After Helene, for example, a photo of a child in a boat clutching a puppy went viral, and while it evoked emotions from everyone who viewed it, it was fake. Fake images are often shared to generate traffic to a website or social media page, and sometimes more sinister reasons, and do not truly depict damage from a natural disaster.

Fake images generated by artificial intelligence, or AI, can erode trust in legitimate sources of news during a crisis, according to a pair of Virginia Tech experts.

Just like you should factcheck a political post before you share it, the same is true for images after a natural disaster.

“The Hurricane Helene photos demonstrate the current challenges with disinformation and social media. AI technology is providing greater ability to create realistic images that are deceptive,” said Cayce Myers, a communication media expert. “The hurricane images have certainly had an impact on the public, and their spread and believability demonstrate how we now live in a new technological and communication reality in the age of artificial intelligence.

AI images can be harmful to society not just when it comes to natural disasters but also when it comes to democracy and public health.

“The problem is these fake images influence peoples’ perception of reality, and social media fuels the spread of this disinformation,” Myers said.

Tips for determining if an image is real

Virginia Tech librarian and digital literacy educator Julia Feerrar offers some advice for vetting images you see in your social media feeds.

“Take a moment to pause when you see an image or other media that sparks a big response for you,” said Feerrar. “The emotional aspect of information-sharing during and after a disaster like Hurricane Helene is so challenging, and with AI-generated content in the mix it can be especially hard to sift through information to help us understand the situation and take action to help.”

• Open up your search engine of choice to find more context. Describing the image and adding the phrase ‘fact check’ to your search is often the fastest way to get more information and debunk misleading content.
• Use reverse image search tools like TinEye or Google Lens to see where else a certain image has been shared online. This strategy can help you catch AI-generated images, as well as older images from other events that may have been reshared out of context.
• Look out for images with strange lighting, hyper-real or overly smooth surfaces or other details that feel ‘off.’ Inconsistencies in hands and feet, in particular, are a red flag.
• Vet social media posts that ask you to take action, such as donating through a link. It can often be safer to go directly to a given organization’s donation page. Multiple national and local organizations, as well as universities, have curated lists of places to donate and help further.

For more information on fact-checking and evaluating content, visit https://guides.lib.vt.edu/dltoolkit/evaluation