Author: zoesantos8bb5e6e800

As Artificial Intelligence Spreads on Social Media, Users Struggle to Know What to Trust

By: Zoe Santos, arts, culture, and sports reporter

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Dec.11, 2025)- Virginia Tech sophomore Cooper Teich is looking at an AI-generated image of an AI influencer posing with Elon Musk.

Artificial intelligence has become increasingly visible on social media, shaping what users see, share, and believe online. Once limited to photo filters and automated captions, AI now generates realistic videos, images, and digital personas that blend seamlessly into everyday feeds. As the technology spreads across platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, users are left to question what is real and how that uncertainty is reshaping online culture.

Virginia Tech sophomore Cooper Teich said artificial intelligence appears in her social media feeds multiple times a day, often without a clear indication that the content is not real. While some posts are clearly labeled or exaggerated, others resemble authentic news footage or personal content shared by real users.

​​BLACKSBURG, Va. (Dec.11, 2025)- Cooper Teich, a Virginia Tech sophomore, poses for a photo.

“There are videos where something bad happens, and you don’t know if it actually happened,” Teich said. “I don’t know what to believe.”

Teich said the growing presence of AI-generated content has changed how she engages with social media. She now scrolls more cautiously, pauses more frequently, and checks comment sections for context before accepting videos at face value. What once felt like passive consumption has become an active process of verification.

She said the emotional impact of AI-generated content is often immediate, particularly when videos depict emergencies, violence, or distressing situations. Even when the content is later identified as artificial, the initial reaction remains.

“You still feel something when you see it,” Teich said. “Even if you find out it’s fake, the reaction already happened.” 

The uncertainty surrounding AI-generated content became more apparent during Thanksgiving break, when a family member showed Teich a video he believed depicted a serious car crash near his home.

“He thought it happened on his street,” Teich said. “He was really concerned and went outside to check.”

The video was entirely generated by artificial intelligence. 

Teich said moments like that illustrate how AI-generated content affects more than just younger users who are accustomed to questioning what they see online. Older adults, she said, are often more likely to accept realistic videos at face value, especially when they resemble local news footage or familiar environments.

“Imagine how often that happens when no one’s there to explain it,” she said. 

“I don’t know what to believe.”
– Cooper Teich, Virginia Tech sophomore

While younger users may be quicker to suspect a video is AI, Teich said the responsibility to interpret and verify content increasingly falls on individuals, regardless of age. That responsibility creates a culture in which uncertainty is normalized, and skepticism becomes necessary for everyday media consumption.

A screenshot from the Pew Research Center website shows differences between U.S. adults and AI experts in how they view artificial intelligence’s future impact.

Concerns about artificial intelligence extend beyond individual experiences. A 2025 Pew Research Center report found a large divide between how U.S. adults and AI experts view the technology’s future. About half of AI experts surveyed said artificial intelligence will have a positive effect on society, while only a small share of U.S. adults expressed the same optimism.

The gap suggests that while those working most closely with AI tend to see its potential benefits, the broader public remains far more cautious, reflecting a cultural disconnect between technological development and public trust as artificial intelligence becomes more visible in daily life. 

​​Carolyn Kogan, Virginia Tech Adjunct Instructor, poses for a photo. (Image courtesy of Carolyn Kogan) 


Carolyn Kogan, an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech who studies online behavior and digital culture, said artificial intelligence intensifies long-standing issues on social media by increasing realism while reducing accountability.

“When accountability is lowered, people react more emotionally and question less,” Kogan said. “AI makes that problem worse because it looks real.”

Kogan said misinformation is not new to social media, but artificial intelligence allows false or misleading content to spread faster and appear more convincing than before. Visual realism, she said, increases the likelihood that users will engage with content emotionally before evaluating its accuracy.

“Images and videos carry a different kind of authority,” Kogan said. “People trust what they can see.”

She explained that social media has long encouraged users to present idealized, public-facing versions of themselves, what sociologists refer to as “front stage” behavior. Artificial intelligence, she said, accelerates that process by removing the human element entirely.

“People already curate a front-facing version of their lives online,” Kogan said. “AI takes that one step further by removing the human altogether.”

Without a real person behind the content, accountability becomes increasingly abstract. AI-generated images and videos can circulate widely without a clear creator, making it difficult to determine who is responsible when the content is misleading or harmful. 

“When accountability is lowered, people react more emotionally and question less.”
– Carolyn Kogan, adjunct professor at Virginia Tech

That lack of accountability, Kogan said, contributes to a culture where skepticism is necessary but not always practiced.

“Not everyone has the same ability or awareness to question what they’re seeing,” she said.

On platforms such as Instagram, artificial intelligence appears in both obvious and subtle ways. In addition to AI-generated videos and images, some accounts feature AI influencers: digital personas designed to look and behave like real content creators. These accounts often post lifestyle content, promote products, and interact with followers, sometimes without clear disclosure that they are not human.

While AI influencers represent only one segment of AI-driven content online, Kogan said their presence reflects a broader cultural shift in how social media operates.

“These platforms reward engagement, not authenticity,” Kogan said. “If something performs well, it gets amplified, whether it’s real or not.”

Teich said encountering AI influencers has made her more skeptical of what appears in her feed.

“You’ll see someone who looks completely real, and then you find out they don’t even exist,” she said. “It makes you stop and question everything else you’re seeing.”

She said that realization has changed how she interacts with influencers more broadly, including human creators who use heavy editing or undisclosed AI tools.

Social media companies have begun responding to growing concerns about artificial intelligence. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, now requires creators to label content that has been significantly altered or generated by AI. TikTok and YouTube have introduced similar disclosure policies for realistic AI content.
The policies are intended to help users better understand what they are seeing and reduce the spread of misleading content. However, enforcement varies across platforms, and labels are not always immediately visible to viewers.

AI-generated videos and images can still circulate widely before users realize the content is artificial, particularly when posts are reposted, edited, or shared without context.

Teich said labels can be helpful, but do not fully address the problem.

“If it looks real, people are going to believe it at first,” she said.

She also questioned the ethics of allowing highly realistic AI content to circulate freely in the same spaces as authentic photos and videos.

“I don’t think it’s ethical,” Teich said. “It makes you question what social media is even supposed to be.”

Despite growing skepticism, Teich said avoiding social media altogether feels unrealistic. Like many college students, she relies on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok for communication, entertainment, and information, even as trust in what appears online continues to erode.

That reliance on social media, Kogan said, reflects a broader cultural reality. Social media platforms are deeply embedded in daily life, making disengagement difficult even for users who are aware of the risks.

“When people can’t trust what they’re seeing, it affects how they interact with content and with each other,” Kogan said. “It changes how relationships, information, and identity function online.”

Kogan said artificial intelligence forces users to confront those issues more directly, pushing questions of trust and authenticity to the forefront of digital culture.

For Teich, navigating social media now requires her to be skeptical of anything she sees. She scrolls more carefully, questions videos that provoke strong emotional reactions, and relies on external context to determine whether content is credible.

“It just makes everything feel less certain,” she said.

As artificial intelligence becomes harder to separate from reality, users are left to adapt in real time. In a digital environment where fabricated and authentic content coexist, the ability to question what appears on a screen has become an essential part of social media use and a defining feature of online culture. 

Brian Palmer Fights to Keep Hokie House Open as Rising Rent Threatens Its Future

By: Zoe Santos, Milana Waller, and Landon Swanson, arts, culture, and sports reporters

Hokie House, a longtime staple of Blacksburg’s downtown and a favorite among Virginia Tech Students, is facing an uncertain future. Owner Brian Palmer shared that the bar is struggling to stay open after the rent prices were raised. The steep increase has put immense financial pressure on the business, leaving Palmer unsure how much longer Hokie House can afford to keep its doors open.

From Reels to Real Customers: Inside 310 Rosemont’s Social Media Approach

By: Zoe Santos, arts, culture, and sports reporter

Local boutique 310 Rosemont in Blacksburg is using social media marketing to connect with Virginia Tech students and new residents. Social media manager Nicole Zuckerman explains how consistent posting and creative content help the store reach new audiences.

https://youtube.com/shorts/A19LtEKNDB8

Sinkland Farms Pumpkin Festival Celebrates 34 Years in Christiansburg

By: Zoe Santos, arts, culture, and sports reporter

The Sinkland Farms Pumpkin Festival in Christiansburg has grown from a small family fundraiser into one of the region’s most beloved seasonal events. Featuring a pumpkin patch, hayrides, live music, and activities for all ages, the festival continues to draw thousands of visitors each year. What began as a way for Susan Sink and her family to support their farm has become a fall tradition for the New River Valley.

Virginia Tech’s Center for the Arts showcases new exhibit “Things I Had No Words For”

By Zoe Santos, arts, culture, and sports reporter

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Sept. 11, 2025)– Artists Clare Grill and Margaux Ogden converse in front of one of Grill’s paintings. (Zoe Santos, Newsfeed NRV)

Visitors gathered Sept. 12 at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech for Beyond the Frame, a monthly tour series that gives audiences a closer look at current exhibitions. September’s tour focused on “Things I Had No Words For”, featuring the paintings of Clare Grill and Margaux Ogden.

Beyond the Frame takes place on the second Thursday of each month at noon. The program invites audiences into the galleries for informal conversations about the art on display. This fall’s exhibitions, which opened Sept. 4 and run through Nov. 22, include Grill and Ogden’s “Things I Had No Words For” on the first floor and “Seeing and Reading” featuring Dana Frankfurt and Josephine Halberstam, upstairs. 

The exhibition is part of CFA’s rotating series of gallery shows, which change out each semester. Visitors can view the works during regular gallery hours, Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Sept. 11, 2025)– Margaux Ogden, Clare Grill, and Brian Holcombe discuss one of Ogden’s pieces on display. (Zoe Santos, Newsfeed NRV)


Curated by Brian Holcombe, director of the visual arts program, “Things I Had No Words For” pairs Grill’s contemplative canvases with Ogden’s energetic, color-driven abstractions. Holcombe said he was first introduced to the two artists in 2014 through a mutual friend and immediately saw their work as complementary. “It struck me that they would have a wonderful conversation together,” Holcombe said during the gallery tour.

Clare Grill, lives and works in New York, received her Master’s of Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute in 2005, according to her biography on M + B’s website. She builds her work from a personal archive of images, memories, and textures. Her paintings often incorporate faint outlines and muted tones that evoke a sense of layers of history. She told the group that she begins with fragments from the past, mostly from antique embroidery, and allows them to inspire her to create something new on the canvas.

“I really think of painting as an excavation,” Grill said, “I’m looking for something, and I’m not exactly sure what it’s going to be until I’m there.”

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Sept. 11, 2025)– Artist Margaux Ogden poses for a photo in front of one of her pieces on display titled “Bathers.” (Zoe Santos, Newsfeed NRV)

Ogden, who is based in Brooklyn, uses a very different process. Her works are full of bright colors and geometric shapes, and she paints without sketches or strict plans. She explained that her studio workflow thrives on risk and spontaneity. All of her pieces are seemingly perfectly symmetrical, but she shared with the group that she only measures the first four lines of a painting and then relies on her judgment for the rest. “The way I work is improvised,” Ogden said. “It’s not predetermined. It’s about responding in the moment.” View more of Ogden’s works here.

Holcombe said bringing both artists into the same gallery space emphasizes the contrasts while also showing how abstraction can take multiple forms. “Clare is often working from history, while Margaux is responding to the present moment,” he said. “That tension is what makes this exhibition really exciting.”

The gallery tour drew a mix of students, community members, and regional art enthusiasts. Among them was an older couple who had travelled from Roanoke specifically for the event.

As Holcombe guided visitors through the space, the group moved slowly between large canvases that filled the white-walled gallery. Grill’s pieces provoke close looking, with texture and subtle brushstrokes that reveal themselves the longer you look at the piece. Ogden’s paintings, in contrast, catch viewers’ attention immediately with bright bursts of pink, green, and orange.

Standing in front of one of Ogden’s pieces, Holcombe described the effect of viewing both artists side by side, “There’s an energy in the room when you put these two bodies of work together,” he said. “You start to notice connections you wouldn’t see otherwise.” 

Beyond the Frame and “Things I Had No Words For” continues CFA’s mission to showcase contemporary art while engaging both the campus and surrounding communities. Previous exhibitions have included national and international artists, but Holcombe emphasized the importance of highlighting painters like Grill and Ogden, who are contributing to ongoing conversations in abstract art today.

Both artists spoke about the balance between personal meaning and public reception in their work. Grill said she hopes viewers bring their own experiences to her paintings rather than looking for a single interpretation. “I want the work to feel open, like there’s room for the viewer to enter,” she said.

Ogden shared that thought, noting that the intensity of the color often provokes strong reactions. “People might see joy, chaos, or even confusion,” she said. “All of that is valid. It’s about how the painting meets you.”

For visitors, the tour was not only about viewing paintings but also about connecting with artists and ideas. Some lingered after the formal program ended, continuing to talk with Grill and Ogden about their processes. A few students took notes, while others snapped photos to remember specific works.

The CFA hopes that kind of engagement continues throughout the fall. With the exhibition open until Nov. 22, Holcombe encouraged visitors to come back more than once, noting that abstraction often rewards repeat viewings.

“You can walk into this show on different days and notice new things each time,” he said. “That’s the beauty of work that resists easy answers.”

“Clare Grill and Margaux Ogden: Things I Had No Words For” is on display at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech through Nov. 22. Admission is free. More information is available on the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech’s website.

Hokie Spirit Never Dies: Evan Hughes on Why Virginia Tech Football Still Unites Fans

By: Zoe Santos, arts & culture reporter

Evan Hughes, Assistant Director of Broadcast Services and Voice of Virginia Tech women’s basketball and baseball, poses for a portrait in Blacksburg, Va.

Even with recent losing seasons, Virginia Tech football continues to draw sold-out crowds to Lane Stadium. The passion is strong as ever, and Hokies, students and alumni alike, say the program represents more than wins and losses. 

Evan Hughes, a Virginia Tech alumnus and assistant director of broadcast services for Virginia Tech Athletics, has experienced the culture from both sides of the stands. As a student and now a staff member, Hughes offers a perspective on the influence of Frank Beamer, the game day atmosphere in Lane Stadium, and why Hokie spirit continues to thrive.

(Edited for clarity)

You’ve been both a student and an employee at Virginia Tech. How would you describe what makes the culture here unique?

I think first and foremost, it’s the people, and I think that it’s so overly used when it comes to organizations or universities, “the people, the people, the people,” but truly, there’s a reason why Virginia Tech is near the top every year in student life happiness.

You hardly meet people who come to Virginia Tech who don’t like Virginia Tech. I just think there’s something about the way others treat fellow students and professors that makes this community so special.

I don’t know if it’s the small-town vibe. I don’t know if it’s being in the mountains. But it’s contagious. You can feel it. And there’s a sense of real pride in being a part of something bigger than yourself, too, which is kinda cool.

Every day, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed from when I was a freshman in college to now being an employee. It’s the people.


Frank Beamer was at the South Carolina game recently, supporting his son Shane. What did you think about the fan response to him being there in another team’s colors?

I think it’s a really good question. Obviously, Coach Beamer is arguably the biggest celebrity and one of the most impactful people to ever graduate from Virginia Tech, but then had the biggest impact that one person has had.

The growth of the football team really helped the growth of the university from an academic standpoint. So to see him there supporting Shane, I thought it was cool because he had a Virginia Tech pin. That was so cool, just paying homage like, “Hey, I am a Hokie. I love you guys. This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but of course I’m going to cheer for my son first.”

Just about every Hokie understood that. Nobody’s like, “Hey, why isn’t Coach cheering for the Hokies?” Everybody gets it. It’s his son. Of course, he’s going to cheer for him. That was really unique. I mean, it’s not every day that your legendary coach is going up against his son.

If you could put it into words, what lasting impact did Beamer leave beyond numbers and wins?

When he first got here, from an athletic department standpoint, we were a very small athletic department. We had not achieved a lot from a team perspective. We’d had some good football seasons in the past, but nothing like where we are now in the ACC and from a competitive standpoint.

We are where we are because of Frank Beamer. I think the rise of the football program allowed for so many more people to get on the bandwagon, so to speak, and then students started saying, “Hey, Virginia Tech’s good. Are they good in school? Maybe I should apply there.”

I don’t think you can sum up what he has meant to this place. Even in his retired life, he walks around campus almost every day, and he’s been around for years. In my opinion, Frank Beamer is one of the most impactful people to ever be a Hokie.

I think about Virginia Tech, how many students we can admit every year, how competitive it is, and how we need to expand. All these things. It’s because of him. He is one of the common denominators for why we are the way we are.

I hope he knows that. I hope he feels that from Hokies, because I don’t think he fully understands that he is one of the primary driving forces of why we are where we are as a university and athletic department today.

As a student and now an alumnus, how do you think the experience changed? Does the passion remain the same?

I think the passion absolutely remains the same. As a student, it depends. Some people come in having grown up a Hokie, and they know everything about it. Some come from out of state and don’t know who Frank Beamer is. Everybody has different starting points for when they started following Tech football. But once you’re in, you’re hooked.

As an alum, so many people who love sports follow Tech football because it takes them back to their college days. Tech football is that placeholder in their heart. It’s their way of staying connected to what’s happening with their alma mater.

It is cool how Tech football continues to give to those who have already graduated. That Hokie Stone the players touch running out of the tunnel comes to mind, “For those who have passed, for those to come, reach for excellence.” That’s what it represents.  

If you had to sum up a gameday in Lane Stadium to someone who’s never been here, how would you describe it?

Exhilarating. Jumping, a lot of jumping. Coming together with 66,000 of your closest friends to cheer on one common goal, and that is for Virginia Tech to win a football game. You are the 12th man, helping push the team to victory. You’re also sharing in three hours of one of the most special moments you’ll have all week.

From kids who are five to alumni who are 90, people love being Hokies. And there’s no better way to show that than being inside Lane Stadium on a Saturday.