Researchers Check Whether People Can Tell Fake Photographs from Real Ones

Researchers from Warwick University in Britain presented the results of the study which observed whether people could tell the difference between real and fake photographs, The Washington Post writes. According to the paper, the respondents gave the right answer only in 60% of all cases. In addition, 45% of those who guessed right could not explain what was wrong with the photographs that they thought were fake.

“It’s a bit worrying,” says Sophie Nightingale, one of the researchers. “Photos are incredibly powerful. They influence how we see the world. They can even influence our memory of things. If we can’t tell the fake ones from the real ones, the fakes are going to be powerful, too.”

The Washington Post also published an online test that was used during the experiment. Users only need to look through the photographs and guess if they are real.