Deepfake or True Love? False Love between Reality and Game Shows

Abstract

Falso Amor is a Spanish reality/game show in which five couples, divided into two separate villages, weekly watch three videos depicting their partner's behavior. These videos serve to test the truth of their love, threatened by the presence of attractive singles who tempt the participants. The novelty of the format lies in the fact that some of the videos shown may be altered using deepfake technology. The contestants, unable to judge the truth of their love, are instead asked to judge the authenticity of the videos. This contribution aims to highlight how, in response to the strategic void caused by the deepfake variable, the participants are required to implement a gameplay tactic rooted in what we have defined as a common “form of life”, in which deepfake videos could be understood as interfaces: means or even actors of ethic communication and connection far beyond their mere referential function and ideal moral value.