How audiences make sense of deepfake resurrections: A multilevel analysis of realism, ethics, and cultural meaning

Abstract

This exploratory qualitative study uses a multilevel framework, combining the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) and the Cognitive-Affective-Normative (CAN) model, to examine how individual perceptions, emotions, and reflections shape acceptance of resurrection deepfakes, particularly those featuring deceased artists Salvador Dalí (surrealist painter, sculptor, and performance artist in a educative/museum campaign) and Lola Flores (folk singer, actress and dancer in a commercial/beer advertisement). Fifty-one participants (70.37 % female; Mean Age = 24.6) took part in six online focus groups, viewing two randomly selected deepfakes of deceased artists. Thematic analysis, using a phenomenological approach, identified primarily cognitive and evaluative reactions (e.g., judgments of authenticity and ethical considerations) with two key layers: first-order evaluations of realism and second-order societal impact assessments. These impacts spanned micro (individuals), meso (content creators/distributors), and macro (society-wide) levels. Most reactions were cognitively driven, while emotional responses were fewer and largely expressed discomfort or surprise. Moreover, cognitive, affective, and normative responses were shaped by institutional purposes and cultural narratives. This study makes a novel contribution by integrating SCOT and CAN into a multilevel framework for analyzing digital resurrection deepfakes, bridging micro-level appraisals with broader sociotechnical contexts. The findings yield theoretical insights and practical implications for media literacy, cultural heritage, and regulatory interventions in the governance of synthetic media, with particular relevance to resurrection deepfakes.