‘This here is a true representation of who I was’: Synthetic media and the authority of the dead

The dead are increasingly being resurrected through synthetic media. This article draws inspiration from the histories of both manipulated media and mediations of death to examine two contemporary cases in which synthetic representations of dead individuals are deployed in attempts to influence issues of gun violence. The article asks in what ways and to what ends these deceased victims are being exploited. The analytical approach uses qualitative textual analysis. The authors find that these dead are imputed a form of agency within communicative networks and identify communicative strategies of encouraging suspension of disbelief and of invoking deictic references to the here and now in order to leverage the authority of the dead. The article concludes that such exploitation of the authority of the dead raises questions around the rights and responsibilities of publics, of digital platforms, and of the dead themselves.