Investigation of Deepfake Video Awareness Among Social Media Users in Plateau State

Deepfake video technology presents novel threats to information integrity, reputational security, and democratic discourse, and assessing awareness of this threat among social media users in North Central Nigeria informs digital literacy policy and response programming. This study investigated deepfake video awareness and recognition capability among social media users in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. A descriptive survey combined with a deepfake recognition test was conducted among 220 adult social media users recruited through community spaces and campus settings. The survey assessed general awareness of deepfake technology, exposure to suspected deepfakes, and knowledge of detection indicators. A five-item deepfake video recognition test was administered. Results showed that 51.8 percent had heard of deepfake technology. Only 24.5 percent correctly described how deepfakes are created. The recognition test showed a mean accuracy of 2.3 out of 5 items, indicating below-chance performance on some items. Exposure to videos that participants believed were manipulated was reported by 37.3 percent. Only 11.4 percent knew of any tool for verifying video authenticity. University-educated respondents scored significantly higher on the recognition test than secondary school-educated respondents (p < 0.01). The study concludes that deepfake awareness and detection skills are critically low in Plateau State. Recommendations include deepfake detection modules in digital literacy curricula, public awareness campaigns, and support for Nigerian fact-checking organisations to develop deepfake verification capacity. Keywords: deepfake awareness, video manipulation, social media users, Plateau State, digital literacy