Deepfakes’ Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Impact: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Individual Responses

This meta-analysis examines 24 experimental studies on deepfake effects on credibility, emotions, and sharing intention, comprising 20,685 participants from 10 countries. Moderator effects of media literacy, control type, video topic, literacy type, gender, age, and country on individual responses were also analyzed. Effect sizes indicated deepfakes’ impact on elevated emotions. Media literacy moderated the effects of deepfake exposure on diminished credibility and sharing intention. The moderator effect of no literacy on emotions was positive. The results suggest that critical media consumers with media literacy, depending on the topic and type, can mitigate the adverse effects of deepfakes.