Vol. 52, No. 2 Spring 2024
Thumbnail summaries of this issue’s major articles:
Proliferation of Deepfakes Increasingly Disturbing
Controversy about artificial intelligence applications will rage on for the foreseeable future and with good reason. The harm being done by image manipulation is real, and women and girls are feeling the brunt of it. A searing story in the New York Times describes how the technology has found its way to the teen and tween market, where students fabricate sexually explicit images of their classmates and circulate the faked pictures. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/technology/deepfake-ai-nudes-westfield-high-school.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
The statistics on the rapid multiplication of deepfakes is staggering. Home Security Heroes, an identity protection firm, has released “2023 STATE OF DEEPFAKES: Realities, Threats, and Impact.” Among the findings:
— The total number of deepfake videos online in 2023 is 95,820, representing a 550% increase over 2019.
— Deepfake pornography makes up 98% of all deepfake videos online.
— 99% of the individuals targeted in deepfake pornography are women.
Much more detail is here: https://www.homesecurityheroes.com/state-of-deepfakes/
Journalist Burnout: Real and Rising
The Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the Missouri School of Journalism, in partnership with research firm SmithGeiger, in February 2024 released the results of one of the largest surveys ever conducted on burnout in the journalism industry: a white paper, based on responses from 1,140 active and former journalists. Amid widespread pessimism (44% of respondents were pessimistic about the state of the industry, rising to 56% in southern regions), the vast majority of respondents agreed that greater flexibility in scheduling and work-from-home options are needed. https://rjionline.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/RJI-Journalism-Burnout-Study-SmithGeiger-White-Paper-Feb-24-v1.33.pdf
Top-grossing Films in 2023 Still Prioritize Male Characters
The latest “It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World” study, from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, shows a continuing stubbornness in depicting fully realized female characters and populating films with them. Released in February 2024, it is the only study currently available providing the percentages of all female characters in speaking roles in 2023’s top grossing films, as well as in major roles and as protagonists.
The percentage of female characters in speaking roles contracted from 37% in 2022 to 35% in 2023. The percentage of female characters in major roles remained steady at 38%. The percentage of films with (sole) female protagonists declined from 33% in 2022 to 28% in 2023. https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/
Research in Depth: Green Teens and Magazines: Environmentalism, Consumerism and Girl Power in Girls’ Magazines by Hannah LeComte
Analysis: Writing Women: Challenges and Opportunities in Developing Female Characters for Film/TV by Anna Weinstein
Research in Focus: Race, Class, and Age Stereotypes of Women in Prime-Time Television Ads by Thomas Clark and Julie Stewart
Commentary: Elite Female College Basketball Stars Meet Their Media Moment by Sheila Gibbons
Plus News Briefs and Book Reviews!