July 29, 2026, 12:37 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
There was a time when everything seemed real. Long before artificial intelligence or Photoshop, trust in TV footage, videos, or photos was high–what we saw was also real, we thought. Artificial staging or subsequent manipulations have always existed. However, the methods were labor-intensive compared to today, and awareness of them was not ingrained in the collective consciousness. Then came relentless technological progress, and with it, reality disappeared. With “Facebook Verified,” I now think: We’ve given up.
This is “Facebook Verified”
But what is “Facebook Verified”? As the company behind the well-known platform, Meta announces, it is an upcoming badge that allows profiles to show that real people are behind them. To do this, you simply need to record a short selfie video, which is then compared with existing profile photos.
The process is free and should only take a few minutes. However, you must have a clean record and not have been previously involved in deception or fraud. “Facebook Verified” is intended for individuals over 18 and not for businesses, content creators, Facebook Pages, or ProMode accounts.
So, it’s about verifying people. Once the process is complete, the badge appears on the marketplace, Facebook Dating, in groups, and on your profile. Later, it will also be visible on your posts. Unlike “Meta Verified,” there are no additional paid protection and support features. Meta is rolling out the feature in phases in initial markets. Over time, it will appear worldwide.
We Didn’t Try Hard Enough
Great. Wonderful. It’s not really wrong, is it? Basically, it sounds like the evolved blue checkmark that has become the standardized confirmation of real and wannabe celebrities on social media. Instead of marking well-known personalities, now simply profiles with real people, flesh and blood, with metabolism and bowel movements. It creates orientation and trust.
But why is this even necessary? When the torrents of misinformation and AI clutter rapidly increased, the opposite approach was attempted: Many operators and consumers reported and blocked falsehoods to keep the net somewhat clean. The efforts to reduce fakes were in vain.
Like a Log in the Raging AI Flood
Like a virtual environmental disaster, the AI tsunami is about to completely undermine our understanding of reality and authenticity. Whom or what should I still believe when I open a few tabs on my computer or smartphone?
In this context, an initiative like “Facebook Verified” seems like a log in the flood, to which I can temporarily cling. Of course, it doesn’t change the direction of the current; instead, I foresee a painful drowning between magical cats with wands and the recurring question: “Is this AI?”
What Is There Left to Appreciate?
Humans are lazy creatures that paradoxically go to great lengths to make life easier. And the abundance of AI mush is equally easy to produce and consume. Everything is getting faster and smoother: Prompts are enough for a funny clip that directly tickles the dopamine center in the brain, which then demands more and gets it more easily than ever. Resistance is futile.
Meanwhile, the lines between reality and invention have long blurred. Under posts that my friends send me, which they and I initially believe to be true, the hints of artificial intelligence pile up. Then I get angry. At myself for not recognizing it, and at my friends for falling for it and participating in spreading the nonsense.
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I laugh at pranks, marvel at extraordinary achievements and moments, and the general greatness of human potential. And then the ground is pulled out from under me, over and over again. It was all fake, I’m a complete fool. Appreciated in vain, now only anger and temporary hatred remain for those responsible.
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Believe What Is False, Doubt What Is Real
Conversely, I’ve also seen several posts that are actually real, which others, in turn, believe to be AI. Then experts have to explain why that’s not the case. Unfortunately, they’re not always available everywhere.
The result is: We believe what is false and doubt what is true. The perception of what lies beyond my physical sight and movement radius is deeply and lastingly disturbed, and I don’t know if we as a society can ever recover from it. I don’t even dare to think about the possible political implications.
Declare Reality as Real
“Facebook Verified” shouldn’t be necessary. We should be able to distinguish fiction from fact ourselves. There shouldn’t be the means to mislead us on a large scale. Nevertheless, we now have to declare reality as real. At least where it’s possible. As often as possible.
What a disgrace. And a capitulation to an enemy that the powerless, happiness-hormone-numbed masses don’t even identify as such. Perhaps this is also the true uprising of the machines, against which so many works of science fiction have warned us. Not, however, in the form of lead-shooting tin cans on a humanoid hunting spree.
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But as invisible systems that captivate us in their entertaining spell, hold us there, and forever dictate our understanding of the world and life. What else is left for me but to let out a short sigh, pull out my smartphone while my instant noodle soup simmers in my one-room cave, and watch a new video from “Carbot Animation.” And give up. At least it’s fun.