Context Effects on the Detection of Manipulated Images in Social Media
Abstract
The widespread use of image manipulation in social media raises concerns about how individuals perceive and evaluate beauty-related visual information. This study examines how image manipulation and presentation context influence perceptual processing and accuracy judgments. Participants viewed authentic and beauty-enhanced images of male and female targets presented within an Instagram-like interface or a photo gallery context, and judged whether images had been manipulated. Repeated-measures ANOVAs and post hoc analysis revealed that reaction times were faster for authentic than for manipulated images (t(2,62)=18.12, p=0.001). Accuracy results showed a significant interaction between manipulation type and presentation context: authentic images were detected more accurately in the gallery context (t(2,62)=-2.902, p=0.026), whereas manipulated images were detected more accurately when presented as Instagram posts (t(2,62)=-3.740, p=0.002). Confidence judgments revealed a main effect (F(1,62)=12.35, p=0.001,n2p=0.018) revealing higher confidence for manipulated than authentic images. Together, these findings suggest that media context modulates perceptual and evaluative processes.