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Cited by 76Media and Digital CommunicationCybernetics and Technology in SocietyInnovative Human-Technology Interaction

Browsing with Alexa: interrogating the impact of voice assistants as web interfaces

Open access
Natale, Simone, Cooke, Henry·2021·Media, Culture & Society
DOI 10.1177/0163443720983295
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Abstract

Voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have recently been the subject of lively debates in regard to issues such as artificial intelligence, surveillance, gender stereotypes, and privacy. Less attention, however, has been given to the fact that voice assistants are also web interfaces that might impact on how the web is accessed, understood and employed by users. This article aims to advance work in this context by identifying a range of issues that should spark additional reflections and discussions within communication and media studies and related fields. In particular, the article focuses on three key issues that have to do with long-standing discussions about the social and political impact of the internet: the role of web platforms in shaping information access, the relationship between production and consumption online, and the role of affect in informing engagement with web resources. Considering these issues in regard to voice assistants not only helps contextualize these technologies within existing debates in communication and media studies, but also highlights that voice assistants pose novel questions to internet research, challenging assumptions of what the web looks like as speech becomes one of the key ways to access resources and information online.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This article argues that voice assistants such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant should be studied as web interfaces that reshape how users access, consume, and affectively engage with online information. It identifies information access, production/consumption, and affect as three key areas where voice assistants extend existing media and communication debates while posing novel questions.

Key findings

  • Voice assistants are web interfaces that require constant internet/cloud connection and mediate access through corporate platforms. They give the impression of vast information access but reduce user control: for example, a Google search returns a plurality of sources, while the same input to Google Assistant often gives just one result, frequently via Wikipedia.
  • In information access, this restriction is described as an affordance of voice as a medium, not merely a design choice. Re-presenting information as an assistant’s utterance can obfuscate sources and erase labor, such as Wikipedia’s volunteer editors, while reinforcing the assistant and parent brand as omniscient. The article also notes potential inequalities by language—minority languages and non-native speakers—and by disability, where voice interfaces may help visual impairment but hinder hearing/speech-related access.
  • In consumption, voice assistants shift interaction from public to private and cast users as consumers or “customers.” Users still act as “prosumers,” but what they produce is data about interactions, monetized by Amazon, Apple, or Google. Interactions are largely transactional command-response; developer documentation lists use cases such as booking a flight, ordering pizza, or turning lights on and off. A workshop with musicians and sound artists found it very hard to create interactions outside the command/response model, and only one developer managed to create software allowing meaningful creative agency.
  • In affect, assistants mobilize names, humanlike gendered voices, and simulated personalities. The frequent female voice raises concerns about gender stereotypes, while personalities align with corporate brands: Alexa as docile servant, Siri with irony and storytelling, and Google with less evident personality. The article reports that as of May 2020 there were more than 1.7 billion websites, and that web searches are one of the three most popular operations requested by users of voice assistants, beside playing music and activating Internet of Things devices.

Methods

  • Conceptual/critical article in media and communication studies; no empirical sample or systematic data collection is reported. It synthesizes existing scholarship, examples, and industry documentation to identify issues for further research.
  • Analysis is organized around three themes: information access, consumption, and affect. It compares voice assistants with browsers and search engines and draws on examples such as Google Assistant versus Google search, developer documentation for Google Assistant and Alexa, and Amazon’s Alexa Design Guide.
  • The article also references design research by one author: a workshop in which musicians and sound artists worked with BBC R&D technologists to explore Alexa as a creative tool.

Limitations

  • The authors state that the analysis focuses on voice assistants developed by Western and more specifically US-based corporations such as Amazon, Apple, and Google. They call for more research on regional, national, cultural, and linguistic specificities and on competing products developed elsewhere.
  • The authors state that the piece alone cannot answer “how does the Internet look through the prism of voice assistants?” in all its complexities; it is intended to highlight the problem and spark further reflection and discussion.
  • Evident from the text: the article is agenda-setting and conceptual rather than an empirical user study, so many claims are illustrative rather than tested. The workshop is reported only briefly, with the outcome that only one developer created software allowing meaningful creative agency.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1177/0163443720983295

Cites

69 of 69 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

0 of 64 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Interpretationnone given
    § Information access · p. 4

    Google Assistant gives access to a much more limited amount of sources than the Google search engine, in many cases just one result provided through Wikipedia.

    “The same input directed to Google Assistant gives access to a much more limited amount of sources - in many cases, just one result provided through Wikipedia.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Premisecitation
    § Voice assistants as interfaces · p. 3

    Interfaces are not neutral; they contribute powerfully to shape the experience of users.

    “Rather than being neutral, interfaces contribute powerfully to shape the experience of users.”
    • Also stated in: § Voice assistants as interfaces · p. 3 · plain
      “Lori Emerson (2014) points out that the interface grants access but 'also inevitably acts as a kind of magician's cape, continually revealing (mediatic layers, bits of information, etc.) through concealing and concealing as it reveals.'”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Emerson, 2014

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites Chun, 2011

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Premisecitation
    § Information access · p. 3

    Web interfaces have significant biases that affect information access.

    “Like all interfaces, however, Web interfaces are not neutral; they have significant biases that affect information access.”
    • Also stated in: § Information access · p. 3 · plain
      “For example, search engines rank their results based on algorithms that elaborate factors such as location, language and previous searches; moreover, they index only parts of the Web (Ballatore, 2015).”
    • Also stated in: § Information access · p. 3 · plain
      “Similarly, social networks impact on users' access to information through algorithms that rank different posts (Bozdag, 2013; Bucher, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Ballatore, 2015

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    • cites Bozdag, 2013

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    • cites Bucher, 2018

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  • Premisecitation
    § Voice assistants as interfaces · p. 3

    Voice assistants require a constant internet connection for all but their most minimal functionality.

    “To function properly, voice assistants such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant need a constant connection to the internet, where they retrieve information and access services and resources.”
    • Also stated in: § Voice assistants as interfaces · p. 3 · plain
      “an internet connection is required for all but their most minimal functionality (Hoy, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Hoy, 2018

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Premisecitation
    § Voice assistants as interfaces · p. 3

    Voice assistants make extensive use of cloud processing, where user interactions are processed in large data centers operated by the platform owners.

    “Given that in order to process and comprehend speech these assistants make extensive use of cloud processing, where user interactions are processed in large data centers operated by the platform owners, an internet connection is required for all but their most minimal functionality (Hoy, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Hoy, 2018

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  • May combine two claims. 27
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 20

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Information access · p. 4

    Voice assistants give the impression of access to vast, nearly unlimited information that users customarily attributed to the Web, but dramatically reduce control over Web access to users, affecting their capacity to browse, explore and retrieve the plurality of information available through the Web.

    “Our contention in this regard is that voice assistants give the impression of access to vast, nearly unlimited information that users customarily attributed to the Web, but dramatically reduce control over Web access to users, affecting their capacity to browse, explore and retrieve the plurality of information available through the Web.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Information access · p. 4

    Google Assistant is marketed as 'Your own personal Google' and offers itself as an all-knowing entity that promises to have an answer for everything and to be 'ready to help, wherever you are'.

    “Google Assistant, marketed as 'Your own personal Google,' takes up this representation by offering itself as an all-knowing entity that promises to have an answer for everything and to be 'ready to help, wherever you are' (Google, 2019); one which you literally address as 'Google' as if talking to the corporation in totality.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Google, 2019

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Information access · p. 4

    The restriction of options in voice assistants is not transparent to users; these systems present themselves as neutral and entirely at the service of the user.

    “Such restriction, however, is not transparent to the users of voice assistants. Despite the high degree of selectivity and the comparatively narrow range of information retrieved, these systems present themselves as neutral and entirely at the service of the user.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Information access · p. 5

    Due to voice assistants' reliance on spoken words, voice assistants are expanding the breadth and depth of automatization to manage and enhance interactions with Web-based information on behalf of the user.

    “However, due to voice assistants' reliance on spoken words, voice assistants are expanding the breadth and depth of automatization to manage and enhance interactions with Web-based information on behalf of the user.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Information access · p. 6

    The rising relevance of voice assistants might create new forms of inequality or enhance existing inequalities.

    “Finally in terms of information access, the rising relevance of voice assistants might create new forms of inequality or enhance existing inequalities.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Information access · p. 4

    The level of trust assigned to Google may translate to trust for the information provided by Google Assistant.

    “Correspondingly, the level of trust assigned to the company may translate to the trust for the information provided by Google Assistant.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Information access · p. 5

    Most users are not particularly good at doing Web searches, and even if they use search engines very often, they rarely implement filters and search strategies adopted by specialists.

    “After all, research has shown that most users are not particularly good at doing Web searches, and that even if they use search engines very often, they rarely implement filters and search strategies adopted by specialists (Singer et al., 2012).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Singer et al., 2012

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  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation
    § Information access · p. 5

    Re-presenting information as the utterance of an assistant may obfuscate its source and erase labor.

    “By re-presenting information as the utterance of an assistant, moreover, its source may be obfuscated and labor erased (Hill, 2020).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Hill, 2020

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  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Information access · p. 5

    Re-presenting information sourced from Wikipedia through the personality of an assistant erases the work done by Wikipedia's volunteer editors and appropriates that knowledge towards reinforcing the perception of that assistant and its parent brand as omniscient.

    “Not only does re-presenting information sourced from Wikipedia through the personality of an assistant erase the work done by Wikipedia's volunteer editors, it also appropriates that knowledge towards reinforcing the perception of that assistant (and its parent brand) as omniscient.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Wikipedia is used by voice assistants as a knowledge source to answer user queries.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Consumption · p. 7

    Users are encouraged to perceive the platform as responding and adapting to their queries, while in fact their ability to produce content that is visible to the public is limited by the very affordances of the interface.

    “Users are encouraged to perceive the platform as responding and adapting to their queries, while in fact their ability to produce content that is visible to the public (such as social media posts or comments) is limited by the very affordances of the interface.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation
    § Consumption · p. 7

    Voice assistants are still 'prosumers,' but in a different sense: what they 'produce' is data about their interactions, which is monetized and employed by Amazon, Apple, or Google to improve the handling of conversations and therefore the illusion that voice assistants are capable of meaningful social exchanges.

    “Voice assistants are still 'prosumers,' but in a different sense: what they 'produce' is data about their interactions, which is monetized and employed by Amazon, Apple, or Google to improve the handling of conversations and therefore, the illusion that voice assistants are capable of meaningful social exchanges (Wünderlich and Paluch, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Wünderlich and Paluch, 2018

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Information access · p. 6

    Voice assistants are usually less effective in transcribing queries when users speak a language that is not their mother tongue, which may inform access for migrant communities within specific linguistic contexts and reinforce existing bias.

    “Moreover, these systems are usually less effective in transcribing queries when users speak a language that is not their mother tongue, which may inform access for migrant communities within specific linguistic contexts and reinforce existing bias (Moussalli and Cardoso, 2019).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Moussalli and Cardoso, 2019

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Consumption · p. 7

    Creating the impression of a dialog between the user and the interface, voice assistants shift the interactive element from the public to the private sphere, from discussions in public fora to private conversations with the software embodied in the assistant.

    “Creating the impression of a dialog between the user and the interface, voice assistants shift the interactive element from the public to the private sphere, from discussions in public fora to private conversations with the software that is embodied in the assistant.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation
    § Consumption · p. 8

    Amazon's Alexa Design Guide refers to the user as a 'customer' throughout, a clear indication of their intended role.

    “Amazon's Alexa Design Guide (Amazon, 2020b) refers to the user as a 'customer' throughout: a clear indication of their intended role.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Amazon, 2020b

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation
    § Consumption · p. 8

    While software developers have control on the operations performed by the system, the agency of the users of voice assistants can be best described as the ability to choose among a pre-defined range of interactions that the companies already anticipated for their systems.

    “While software developers have control on the operations performed by the system, the agency of the users of voice assistants can be best described as the ability to choose among a pre-defined range of interactions that the companies already anticipated for their systems.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Consumption · p. 7

    If voice assistants are an example of a computer interface that takes up the language of humans, they are also an interface that stimulates humans to take up the 'language' of computers, that is programming language.

    “Thus, if voice assistants are an example of a computer interface that takes up the language of humans, they are also an interface that stimulates humans to take up the 'language' of computers, that is programming language.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Consumption · p. 8

    Some of the best systems that currently exist to capture data for training voice assistants are voice assistants themselves; in a self-supporting turn, the systems gather the data needed to create better iterations of themselves.

    “Some of the best systems that currently exist to capture that data are voice assistants themselves; in a neat self-supporting turn, the systems gather the data needed to create better iterations of themselves.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Consumption · p. 8

    Users of Alexa are 'a resource, as their voice commands are collected, analyzed and retained for the purposes of building an ever-larger corpus of human voices and instructions'; they are a hybrid of consumer, resource, and laborer, unwittingly working to improve the platforms that they use.

    “Crawford and Joler (2018) have remarked that users of Alexa are 'a resource, as their voice commands are collected, analyzed and retained for the purposes of building an ever-larger corpus of human voices and instructions.' They argue that users of voice assistants are a hybrid of consumer, resource, and laborer, unwittingly working to improve the platforms that they use.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Crawford and Joler, 2018

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Consumption · p. 8

    Amazon's business model has already incorporated the potential development of independent voice assistant technologies by providing developers' functions through tools such as the Alexa Skills Kit or Alexa Skill Blueprints, but these ultimately remain under the auspices and control of Amazon.

    “This potential development, however, has already been incorporated into the business model of a company such as Amazon, which provides a range of developers' functions available for customization by private companies and programmers through tools such as the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) or Alexa Skill Blueprints.”
    • Also stated in: § Consumption · p. 8 · plain
      “and creating apps - 'Skills' in Alexa's terminology - which ultimately, however, remain under the auspices and the control of the Amazon company (Lee, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Lee, 2018

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Consumption · p. 7

    Since the process of drafting answers remains opaque to most users, the fact that voice assistants are able to address apparently random questions creates the impression that they are able to anticipate the users' queries, meeting expectations of what a 'personal' assistant is for.

    “Since this process remains opaque to most users, the fact that voice assistants are able to address apparently random questions creates the impression that they are able to anticipate the users' queries - meeting expectations of what a 'personal' assistant is for.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Affect · p. 9

    Social media and social networks developed into key platforms for users to access information, entertainment and sociality online, and connectivity became an idealized outcome for Web 2.0 and a business model for companies such as Facebook.

    “As social media and social networks developed into one of the key platforms for users to access information, entertainment and sociality online, connectivity rose to the double status of an idealized outcome for Web 2.0 and a business model for companies such as Facebook (Fisher, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Fisher, 2018

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Affect · p. 9

    Other Web interfaces such as browsers and search engines are designed in ways that facilitate affective reactions, as a web user's initial emotional response has carried-on effects on subsequent interactions.

    “Similarly, other Web interfaces such as browsers and search engines are also designed in ways that facilitate affective reactions, as research has shown that a web user's initial emotional response have carried-on effects on their subsequent interactions (Deng and Poole, 2010).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Deng and Poole, 2010

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  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Affect · p. 10

    Anthropomorphic features orient users' perception and affect.

    “and have pointed to the impact of anthropomorphic features in orienting users' perception and affect (Araujo, 2018; Caudwell and Lacey, 2019).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Araujo, 2018

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    • cites Caudwell and Lacey, 2019

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  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation
    § Consumption · p. 9

    Explorative studies in marketing have highlighted voice assistants' potential in building engagement and loyalty.

    “Explorative studies in marketing have already highlighted voice assistants' potential in building engagement and loyalty (Moriuchi, 2019; Vernuccio et al., 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Moriuchi, 2019

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    • cites Vernuccio et al., 2020

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  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Premisenone given
    § Affect · p. 10

    There is no monolithic 'Alexa' or 'Siri' from a technical viewpoint; they are the integration of a wide range of different systems and algorithms.

    “From a technical viewpoint, there isn't anything like one monolithic 'Alexa' or 'Siri.' Rather than being individual entities, they are the integration of a wide range of different systems and algorithms.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisereasoning
    § Affect · p. 10

    The name given to the software is one semiotic means used by voice assistants.

    “The first of these means is the name given to the software.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationcitation
    § Affect · p. 11

    A key rationale for characterizing the assistant's voice through gender is the necessity to capitalize from the existing familiarity of users with human voices.

    “Harrison's answer suggests that a key rationale for characterizing the assistant's voice through gender is the necessity to capitalize from the existing familiarity of users with human voices.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Young, 2019

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  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Premisereasoning
    § Affect · p. 10

    'Alexa' and 'Siri' exist at a semiotic level.

    “'Alexa' and 'Siri' do exist, however, at a semiotic level.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation
    § Affect · p. 10

    Assigning names that suggest humanity and gender is a strategy employed for other types of software.

    “This replicates a strategy employed also for other types of software, which are sometimes assigned names that suggest humanity and also gender (Zdenek, 2003).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Zdenek, 2003

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  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Affect · p. 12

    Chatbots employing natural language processing software similar to that in voice assistants are already being used for political propaganda; in the 2019 Israeli election, a chatbot impersonating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was used in its official campaign to target supporters.

    “In fact, chatbots employing natural language processing software similar to that which is employed in voice assistants - to generate the illusion of social engagement, are already being used for political propaganda: in the 2019 Israeli election, for instance, a chatbot impersonating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was used in its official campaign to target supporters (Ben-David, 2019).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Ben-David, 2019

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  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Affect · p. 11

    This approach assuages concerns and resistance from consumers about the surveillant potential of these technologies, while keying into more positive associations for robots and the automated home of the future.

    “Such an approach, moreover, assuages concerns and resistance from consumers 'to the surveillant potential of these technologies, while keying into more positive associations for robots and the automated home of the future' (Humphry and Chesher, 2020: 3).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Humphry and Chesher, 2020

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  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation
    § Affect · p. 11

    The use of such a voice is meant to reduce anxieties about robots exceeding their roles as loyal helpers and crossing into the monstrous.

    “Humphry and Chesher (2020) point out that this is meant 'to reduce anxieties about their potential to exceed their roles as loyal helpers and cross the boundary into the monstrous,' (p. 2) that is the negatively charged connotation of robotic and alien voices that has been firmly established by science fiction and popular culture's representation of hostile robots.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Humphry and Chesher, 2020

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  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Affect · p. 11

    Each assistant is instilled to some degree with its own specific character, while much characterization is left to users' imagination and interpretation.

    “While much of the characterization is left to the imagination and interpretation of users (Guzman, 2015), each assistant is instilled to some degree of its own specific character.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Guzman, 2015

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  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Affect · p. 11

    This representation helps conceal Amazon's structures of labor, as the exploitation of the workforce needs to remain invisible to users who access Amazon services and products online.

    “This helps conceal Amazon's structures of labor, whereas the exploitation of the workforce needs to remain invisible to users who access Amazon services and products online (Hill, 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Hill, 2020

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  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Premisenone given
    § Conclusion · p. 12

    The retrieval of information from the web is already one of the key functions of voice assistants.

    “Although it is always difficult to predict future technological trends, it is a fact that the retrieval of information from the web is already one of the key functions of voice assistants.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationreasoning
    § Conclusion · p. 13

    Voice assistants bear significant potential as web interfaces.

    “If the potential challenges and problems have been the subject of particular attention in this article, voice assistants also bear significant potential as web interfaces.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Conclusion · p. 13

    The role of voice assistants as interfaces to the Internet is not written in any of their technical features; a technology and its impact can never be separated from the social, political, economic and institutional structures that surround them.

    “Indeed, the role of voice assistants as interfaces to the Internet is not written in any of their technical features, especially considering that a technology and its impact can never be separated from the social, political, economic and institutional structures that surround them (Williams, 1974).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Williams, 1974

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  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation
    § Conclusion · p. 13

    Social media have shifted in just a few years from being widely regarded as harbingers of new opportunities for citizen journalism to being criticized by many as leading to populism, disinformation, and fake news.

    “Considering how social media have shifted in the lapse of just a few years from being widely regarded as harbingers of new opportunities for citizen journalism (Wall, 2015) to being criticized by many as leading to the populism, disinformation, and fake news (Chadwick and Vaccari, 2019), it is especially important that the impact of voice assistants in accessing information on the web is i”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Wall, 2015

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    • cites Chadwick and Vaccari, 2019

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  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § Conclusion · p. 13

    Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are made available in a large number of different languages and have achieved significant global reach.

    “While Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are made available in a large number of different languages and have achieved significant global reach (Hoy, 2018), competing products have also been developed in different parts of the world (Xiao and Kim, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Hoy, 2018

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39 of 39

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Wikipedia is used by voice assistants as a knowledge source to answer user queries.

    “For instance, Wikipedia is used by voice assistants as a knowledge source to answer user queries.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are designed around a transactional, command-response model of conversation.

    “Differently from artificial companions and social robots, which are created with the explicit purpose of constructing the illusion of sociality (Caudwell and Lacey, 2019), Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are designed around a transactional, command-response model of conversation.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Software developers working on voice assistant platforms are limited to defining expected commands ('intents') and returning text or short audio clips in response; no other interactions are possible within the software frameworks supplied by the platform owners.

    “Also software developers working on these platforms are limited to defining expected commands ('intents') and returning text (to be read by a speech synthesizer) or short audio clips in response; no other interactions are possible within the software frameworks supplied by the platform owners.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Cutting-edge voice recognition, natural language understanding and speech synthesis are all machine learning problems that rely on vast datasets of spoken and written language for their training.

    “Cutting-edge voice recognition, natural language understanding and speech synthesis are all machine learning problems that rely on vast datasets of spoken and written language for their training.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Voice assistants are gateways to the cloud-based resources administered by Amazon, Apple, and Google.

    “They are gateways to the cloud-based resources administered by these companies.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The main source of income for social media platforms is advertising.

    “Since the main source of income for these platforms is advertising, the degree to which they are able to encourage participation and constant connectivity from the part of users impacts directly on their commercial potential.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Voice assistants already retain a promotion function in directing customers to Amazon, Apple, and Google products and services.

    “Arguably, voice assistants already retain a promotion function in directing customers to Amazon, Apple, and Google products and services.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The impact of voice assistants as web interfaces can be assessed by analogy to ongoing debates about online media (web platforms shaping information access, production/consumption, affect in engagement).

    “By advancing an initial agenda in this direction, this article has shown that some key ongoing debates about online media - such as the role of web platforms in shaping information access, the relationship between production and consumption online, and the role of affect in informing engagement with web resources - may help in assessing and understanding the implications of voice assistants as web”
8 of 8

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The same input directed to a search engine powered by generative AI will provide an extra layer of mediation likely to provide a much more limited amount of source information, unless specific design features are included to counteract this.

    “The same input directed to a search engine powered by generative AI will provide an extra layer of mediation likely to provide a much more limited amount of source information, unless specific design features are included to counteract this (57).”

    From The impact of generative artificial intelligence on socioeconomic inequalities and policy making (2024) · cites this paper as [57]

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 11

  1. Caudwell C, Lacey C (2019) What do home robots want? The ambivalent power of cuteness in robotic relationships. Convergence 41(8): 1176–1191.
  2. Dambanemuya HK, Diakopoulos N (2020) “Alexa, what is going on with the impeachment?” Evaluating smart speakers for news quality. Proceedings of the Computation and Journalism Symposium 1: 1–4.
  3. 10.5749/minnesota/9780816691258.001.0001 · DOI
  4. Gunkel DJ (2020) An Introduction to Communication and Artificial Intelligence. Cambridge, UK: Polity.
  5. Guzman AL (2017) Making AI safe for humans: A conversation with Siri. In: Gehl RW, Bakardjieva M (eds) Socialbots and Their Friends: Digital Media and the Automation of Sociality. London: Routledge, pp.85–101.
  6. Lee H (2018) Voice User Interface Projects: Build Voice-Enabled Applications Using Dialogflow for Google Home and Alexa Skills Kit for Amazon Echo. Birmingham: Packt Publishing Ltd.
  7. Lippmann W (1922) Public Opinion. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co.
  8. Magaudda P (2015) Apple’s iconicity: Digital society, consumer culture and the iconic power of technology. Sociologica 9(1): 1–15.
  9. Phan T (2017) The materiality of the digital and the gendered voice of Siri. Transformations 29: 23–33.
  10. Wilks Y (2019) Artificial Intelligence: Modern Magic or Dangerous Future? London: Icon Books.
  11. Wünderlich NV Paluch S (2018) A nice and friendly chat with a bot: User perceptions of AI-based service agents. In: ICIS 2017: Transforming Society with Digital Innovation pp.1–11. Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2017/ServiceScience/Presentations/11/ (accessed 13 December 2020).

Cited by

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Related

Authors
Natale, S., & Cooke, H.
Affiliations
  • Loughborough University (GB)
  • British Broadcasting Corporation (United Kingdom) (GB)
Corresponding author
Natale, Simone
ORCID
Venue
Media, Culture & Society
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2020-12-24
Volume
43
Issue
6
Pages
1000-1016
ISSN
  • 0163-4437 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-3675
DOI
10.1177/0163443720983295
OpenAlex
W3113853537
Semantic Scholar
6ff9b1b8607066ab494c263408ff227023249bad
Cited by
76
References
68
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 5
FWCI
3.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Media Culture & Society (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Institutional Research Information System University of Turin (University of Turin) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Networks and Communications › Media and Digital Communication
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Cybernetics and Technology in Society
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Innovative Human-Technology Interaction
Keywords
voice assistants, Amazon Alexa, web interface, web browsing, access to information, web platform, production and consumption, affect, online engagement, speech-based interaction, online research

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Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

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