Viral ‘Squid Game’ Images Debunked: AI-Generated Hallways and Doctored Documentary Footage Fuel False Claims
The global popularity of the Netflix dystopian thriller "Squid Game" has sparked a wave of online misinformation, with AI-generated images and manipulated documentary footage falsely depicting the show’s fictional horrors as reality. The misleading posts, circulating in numerous languages including Burmese, Chinese, English, Indonesian, Malay, Spanish, Turkish, and Thai, coincided with the release of the show’s second season, further fueling the confusion and capturing the attention of unsuspecting social media users worldwide.
The fabricated narrative presented alongside the manipulated imagery claimed that the brutal games depicted in "Squid Game" were based on real-life events designed to eradicate poverty. Numerous social media users expressed shock and heightened interest in the show, believing the fabricated claims. However, the truth behind the viral images is far removed from the sensationalized narrative. The pink and green hallways, instantly recognizable from the show’s aesthetic, were not film sets but rather products of artificial intelligence. The creator of the images, Turkey-based writer Efe Levent, confirmed that they were generated using the AI tool Midjourney and shared on his Instagram account dedicated to AI-generated art.
Further adding to the misinformation campaign, an image purporting to show participants in the deadly games was actually taken from a documentary about Brothers Home, a former detention facility in Busan, South Korea, infamous for its history of human rights abuses between 1960 and 1992. The image, showing men in tracksuits, was lifted from a YouTube documentary produced by the South Korean newspaper Busan Ilbo and presented out of context to bolster the false narrative surrounding "Squid Game."
The "Squid Game" creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, has publicly stated that the show’s inspiration stems from Japanese comics like "Battle Royale" and "Liar Game," not from real-life events. He further explained that the central character, Gi-hun, was inspired by the struggles of workers during the Ssangyong Motors strikes in South Korea in 2009. This labor dispute, marked by violent clashes between workers and riot police, served as a backdrop for Hwang’s exploration of economic desperation and societal inequalities.
This instance of "Squid Game" misinformation highlights the growing concern surrounding the proliferation of AI-generated content and its potential to deceive. The ease with which realistic yet fabricated images can be created and disseminated online poses a significant challenge to media literacy and critical thinking. The blurring lines between fiction and reality underscore the importance of verifying information from reliable sources before accepting and sharing it online.
The rapid spread of the false "Squid Game" narrative across multiple languages and platforms demonstrates the viral nature of misinformation and its ability to exploit popular culture trends. The incident serves as a cautionary tale, urging social media users to be vigilant and critical of the content they encounter, especially when it comes to sensational claims presented without credible evidence. The availability of tools and resources for verifying information, including reverse image search and fact-checking websites, provides individuals with the means to combat the spread of misinformation and promote a more informed online environment. The "Squid Game" incident emphasizes the ongoing need for media literacy education and critical thinking skills in the digital age.