| dc.description.abstract | This study aims to understand the phenomenon of self-presentation experiences among deepfake victims
whose personal photos were taken and sexually edited without their consent. People of all ages and
genders can become targets of sexualized deepfakes, with women being particularly vulnerable. This
research employs a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach, gathering data through in
depth interviews with three Indonesian female victims. The findings reveal that all participants
experienced digital sexual harassment, yet they continued to appear in public without isolating
themselves or withdrawing from their social environments, both offline and online. The participants
demonstrated active responses to the incidents, positioning themselves not as passive victims. They did
not allow their deepfake victimization to define or haunt their identities. Instead, they sought to be
perceived as women who were not defeated by the perpetrators or the events they endured. They rejected
notions of “victims being at fault due to their clothing” or other forms of victim-blaming. Four sequential
themes emerged from the interviews: A Shattering Event, Fighting Back, That Is Not Me and Not My
Fault, and Rebuilding Oneself Before the World. The absence of escalation or extreme situations in both
offline and online contexts marks a notable difference between this study’s participants and those in
previous research. This study opens the door for further research involving a larger number of
participants, including male victims, and offers recommendations on the importance of collective
awareness regarding deepfake violations and risks, as well as digital literacy education on artificial
intelligence (AI), particularly deepfakes. | en_US |
