İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi 2147-4524 Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University 10.47998/ikad.1570974 Internet Mass Media Media Technologies Communication and Media Studies (Other) İnternet Kitle İletişimi Medya Teknolojileri İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer) Deepfake Interest in South Korea: A Temporal Analysis of Google Trends from 2017 to 2024 Güney Kore'de Deepfake'e Yönelik İlgi: 2017'den 2024'e Google Trendlerinin Zamansal Analizi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7596-1269 Tulga Ahmet Yiğitalp ‎National Chengchi University 03 18 2025 69 220 238 10 21 2024 03 04 2025 Copyright © 1983, İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi 1983 İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi

Deepfake technology, which utilizes artificial intelligence to generate hyper-realistically manipulated videos, images, texts, and audio, has garnered significant public and academic interest. The proliferation of deepfakes, especially in non-consensual pornography, financial fraud and political misinformation, has sparked ethical, moral, legal, and security debates worldwide. While existing research predominantly focuses on deepfake detection, legal frameworks, and their potential impact on the democratic process, few studies have examined public interest in deepfakes and the factors influencing search behavior. This study addresses this gap by analyzing public interest in deepfakes in South Korea, using Google Trends data from January 2017 to August 2024. This timeframe is particularly significant as it encompasses the initial emergence of deepfake technology in 2017 and its increasing use in fraudulent and non-consensual content in South Korea. The country represents a unique case due to its global leadership in deepfake-related searches, widespread consumption of non-consensual sexual deepfakes, and frequent occurrence of deepfake fraud. This study employs dictionary-based text analysis to categorize search queries into three main themes: sexual content, techniques for creating deepfakes, and methods for accessing deepfake materials. The findings indicate that 77.81% of searches are related to non-consensual sexual content, primarily targeting female celebrities. Contrary to global trends, political deepfakes did not significantly influence search patterns in South Korea. These insights highlight the urgent need for stronger regulatory frameworks and technological interventions to mitigate the harms associated with deepfakes.

Hiper-gerçekçi manipüle edilmiş videolar, görüntüler, metinler ve sesler üretmek için yapay zekadan yararlanan deepfake teknolojisi hem toplum hem de akademik camia için ilgi çekici bir konu haline gelmiştir. Özellikle rıza dışı pornografi, dolandırıcılık ve siyasi yanlış bilgilendirmede deepfake'lerin yaygınlaşması, dünya çapında etik, ahlaki, hukuksal ve güvenlik bazında tartışmalara yol açmıştır. Mevcut araştırmalar ağırlıklı olarak deepfake tespiti, hukuki çerçeve ve deepfake içeriklerin demokratik süreçler üzerindeki potansiyel etkilerine odaklanırken, kamuoyunun deepfake'lere olan ilgisini ve arama davranışını etkileyen faktörleri inceleyen sınırlı sayıda çalışma bulunmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda bu çalışmada, Ocak 2017'den Ağustos 2024'e kadar olan Google Trendler verileri kullanılarak, Güney Kore vakasında deepfake'lere olan kamu ilgisi analiz edilmek suretiyle literatürdeki mevcut boşluk doldurulmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu zaman dilimi, deepfake teknolojisinin 2017 yılında ilk ortaya çıkışını ve Güney Kore'de dolandırıcılık ve rıza dışı içeriklerde artan kullanımını kapsadığı için özellikle önemlidir. Güney Kore, deepfake ile ilgili aramalarda küresel liderliği, rıza dışı cinsel deepfake'lerin yaygın tüketimi ve deepfake dolandırıcılığı gibi sorunlarla sıkça karşılaşılması nedeniyle benzersiz bir vakayı temsil etmektedir. Bu çalışmada, arama sorgularını üç ana temada kategorize etmek için sözlük tabanlı metin analizi kullanılmıştır. Bu sözlükler cinsel içerik, deepfake oluşturma teknikleri ve deepfake materyallerine erişim yöntemleridir. Bulgular, aramaların %77,81'inin rıza dışı cinsel içerikle ilgili olduğunu ve özellikle kadın ünlüleri hedef aldığını göstermektedir. Küresel eğilimlerin aksine, siyasi deepfake'ler Güney Kore'deki arama davranışlarını önemli ölçüde etkilememektedir. Bu bulgular, deepfake'lerle ilişkili zararları azaltmak için daha güçlü düzenleyici çerçevelere ve teknolojik müdahalelere duyulan acil ihtiyacı vurgulamaktadır.

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