The Existential Dimensions of the Deepfake Phenomenon in Digital Culture

Digital culture and neural networks give rise to ambivalent phenomena, including deepfakes, which pose a high risk given the widespread accessibility of this technology. The use of deepfakes to construct false realities for destructive purposes reshapes questions concerning human existence and transcendence, the openness and authenticity of communication, and the safeguarding of personal uniqueness. This article examines the existential, communicative, and sociocultural aspects of the use of deepfake technology. It also characterizes deepfakes as instruments of information and hybrid warfare directed against both individuals and social systems. This study conceptualizes the deepfake phenomenon within a system of diverse interrelations and levels of personal being—technological, psychological, mass-mediated, political, ethical, and aesthetic—thereby demonstrating both its multifaceted capabilities and the substantial threats it poses, especially when applied to destructive social practices. The findings may be used to inform regulatory policy in media production and artificial intelligence, as well as humanities-based assessments of contemporary technological solutions.