How many times have we witnessed in the first person that a grandfather draws attention to his grandson for being glued to a screen all day? Surely a few, and it is that today’s children live glued to the screens and connected to the Internet almost 24 hours a day. Sometimes it is difficult to offer them an entertainment stimulus that is not directly related to a Tablet or a Smartphone.
In recent years, consoles, computers and smartphones have captured the attention of the smallest of the house, and not so long ago, smart speakers have been added to this list, with Alexa being the voice assistant with the greatest impact on the market in 2020.
Alexa: one of the family
Rare is the household that does not have a voice assistant today. Its use has spread among the population and Alexa is one of the most chosen by consumers. This voice assistant can do everything, or almost everything for us: put music on the Amazon Echo, suggest culinary recipes, turn the lights on and off in our house … come on, sometimes it seems that she has the answer to almost all of our problems.
Perhaps one of the most useful functions of voice assistants is the reminder settings, what’s more, in some homes it is Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri who tell children the home or school tasks that they have to do ( indications configured by their parents, of course).
Generational gap
This widespread use of voice assistants is taking a deep dive and will mark a before and after in the way of communication of the new generations. What’s more, a YouGov poll conducted in Britain reveals that children aged six to eleven speak more to Alexa or Siri than to their own grandparents. The study of 1,200 children shows that a quarter speak with voice assistants on a daily basis while only one in ten speaks each day with their grandparents.
This trend is not only affecting children, but also parents. Daily Mail reports that 34% of respondents ask Alexa or Siri for answers instead of their own mother or father. Could this be an indication that we are changing our references when it comes to informing ourselves?
What is clear is that voice assistants facilitate and enliven our day to day and give us answers to any question that comes to mind, but of course the data revealed by this type of study is still surprising .