Fake, emotionally charged, and capable of going viral. AI-created images and false family narratives are taking over your social media, influencing your feelings. For instance, there’s a story about a white woman who adopts a Black infant found in a cardboard box. A Black father discovers how to nurture his white daughter following the disappearance of her mother. All of this makes for a touching narrative. Many have been shared hundreds or even thousands of times. All of this is entirely fabricated. These viral posts aren’t merely filled with emotion; they are deliberately created. The images are created by artificial intelligence. The captions are not real. These characters are fictional, but users on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok are interacting with them as if they were real by commenting, liking, and sharing. The strategy is based on creating fake families that evoke genuine emotions.
