So much of what you come across online is visual, thus it is important to understand how to evaluate images and videos since they can easily be manipulated and taken out of context.
Some of the tricks you use to evaluate an article's claims can also be used to evaluate an image.
When you critically observe an image, you are looking at the image closely and taking in the details to verify the images credibility. It is important to look at the whole photo for clues, not just the focal point. Only looking at the focal point can cause you to miss many clues.
These tips were provided by the News Literacy Project.
Most search engines have a reverse image search feature. That means you can right click on the image and either select to search for the image or copy the images URL and then paste it into a browser to search for the image. You may come across fact checking websites where others have asked about the image or other places where the image has been used.
Deepfake technology allows you to swap faces and voices to alter videos. They first appeared in 2018, and while some are easy to spot because images and sound may not quite match up, they are quickly becoming sophisticated without the need for special tools. This means it is even more essential to trace an image back to its actual source to determine credibility.