Surveillance and big data on the home front: voice-controlled technology in domestic space

The central research question of this project is: how does the normalization of voice-controlled technology in domestic space change the meanings attached to home? The project will focus specifically on Amazon’s Alexa-enabled smart speakers by analyzing how online discourse surrounding the device and software impacts understandings about traditional domestic values, such as privacy and the autonomy of the family domain. The project will examine corporate legal agreements and consumer reviews of Amazon Echo products and user comments online. By analyzing how these texts are impacting traditional understandings of the home, I will also be addressing the prominent visual bias in surveillance research. This project conceptualizes surveillance as listening, rather than “watching over”, to address the complex set of relations between privacy-invasive technologies, home environments, and aural knowledge. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Greg Elmer

Student:

Partner:

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

New and Digital Media; Information and Communications Technology; Technology

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program: