“When I think of Siri, I think of a voice that a lot of people hear, this omnipotent voice that’s also a voice of authority,” Williams says. Widely heard, trusted voices-everything from radio hosts to voice-over actors-have long been perceived as a particular subset of white people, and often male. “When we think of racial representation, we usually think visually, not phonetically,” Williams says. Today’s movies and TV shows are more likely than before to feature Black people in significant roles, according to UCLA’s annual Hollywood diversity report-but the same change hasn’t reached many of the voices that we hear, she says. That’s why diversifying their voices is important, says Sherri Williams, a professor who studies race and media at American University. As they become increasingly powerful and appear in more devices-not just phones and tablets, but also smart speakers and cars-their voices have become a symbol of professionalism. “It says that Black identity and African American identity have value, have legitimacy, and can be trusted here as a partner in searching for information.”įor many people, digital assistants like Siri or Alexa are daily guides to modern life. “A young Black voice owning that role in a lot of people’s homes is incredibly powerful,” Allen says.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |