Hey Alexa, a Documentary by Grace Nielsen

The ever-expanding list of tasks Alexa can complete, from radio to alarm clock, has made it and similar devices common place in in households across the globe, with 22% of UK households now having at least one smart device. But is that a good thing? Concerns have always been raised about how much the Echo listens to with these concerns being echoed by members of the public in this production, one of which went so far as to bin their Alexa amid concerns of spying. However, these concerns have always been dispelled as in order to function properly the device always has to listen out for its name.

Alexa is purely about convenience, a device that can control your TV, turn your lights on and set your heating all at the same time. When Grace is talking to her friends about the smart companion over a cup of tea, the use of Alexa as a kitchen timer by the older generation is given as a positive example of its use, proving that Alexa’s success lies in the accessibility and ease of use of the product. Yet still the concern about privacy was raised, with the documentary’s participants theorising that as smart technology improves, the less privacy we will have.

But this is putting a lot of trust into a multi-national mega corporation, it’s a bit dystopian in a way, isn’t it?

Written by Joshua Falconer

Edited and Published by Chloe Webb

BA(Hons) Media Production

Solent Media