DEEPFAKE METAPHORS IN GERMAN AND TURKISH MEDIA
VEREDAS DO DIREITO, vol.23, no.14, pp.1-17, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 23 Issue: 14
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.18623/rvd.v23.8149
- Journal Name: VEREDAS DO DIREITO
- Journal Indexes: HeinOnline-Law Journal Library, Scopus, Law Journal Library (HeinOnline), Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), vLex, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Page Numbers: pp.1-17
- Akdeniz University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This article investigates how deepfakes are metaphorically conceptualised in German and Turkish media discourse. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Critical Metaphor Analysis and metaphor scenario analysis, it examines how news texts construct deepfakes as threats to truth, trust and democracy. The consolidated analytical corpus contains 85 media items and 530 lexical-unit coding rows, comprising 327 German and 203 Turkish rows. Metaphor identification follows a MIPVU informed procedure combined with source- and target-domain grouping, critical interpretation and cross-linguistic comparison. The findings show recurrent WAR/ATTACK, THREAT, TRAP, MASK, VISION/DETECTION and EROSION/STRUCTURE scenarios. The German subcorpus foregrounds democratic vulnerability, elections, journalism and regulation, whereas the Turkish subcorpus more strongly foregrounds fraud, social engineering, user warning and identity manipulation. The article argues that these metaphors do more than describe technological risks: they distribute agency and vulnerability, legitimise protective responses and construct deepfakes as a problem of epistemic security.