Bystander videos have shaped public perception for decades. The ability to now spread video widely can lead to real-time access and transparency, but experts say videos can’t tell the full story.
Sometimes videos raise more questions than answers
While bystander videos have allowed millions of Americans to view controversial events for themselves, they are only one part of the story, experts said.
“If there is even the slightest bit of ambiguity, that just opens the door for people to interpret [video] according to their own existing attitudes,” said Oliver of Penn State.
Videos only show viewers a moment in time and can be manipulated or edited, said West. Shorter videos that are commonly seen on social media can also be misleading, he said.
“We don’t know what happened five minutes before or an hour before or three hours before,” West said.
For example, in 2019, a short viral video appeared to show a teenager mocking a Native American activist at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Longer videos of the incident brought the original interpretation into question.
The rise of artificial intelligence and deepfake videos adds another complication to the public’s understanding of these events, experts said.
Shah, from the University of Wisconsin, said it’s becoming more and more difficult for people to differentiate between AI and reality on social media. People may stop believing what they’re seeing altogether.
“The idea of image as truth is also deeply in question,” he said.
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As a Canadian this section read like a disgusting acquiescence to present “both sides” and one of them–complete with unnamed “experts”–is just peddling pathetically veiled scare tactics and anti-truth. Ok, sure, videos can be faked or misleading or only show a “snapshot” of an event. With all due respect, part of the solution to this is to record more video. Not less.
