Externalized domestication: smart speaker assistants, networks and domestication theory

Abstract

Framed by domestication theory, affordances and use genres, this study explores early adopters’ uses of smart speaker assistants (SSAs), like Amazon Echo (Alexa) and Google Home. Based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews, we develop a typology of use genres, and describe spatially distributed uses. The interviews revealed six use genres that go beyond the well-known convenience and entertainment. Specifically, the use genres of companionship, self-control and productivity, sleep aid, health care, peace of mind and increased accessibility emerged from participants’ accounts. In addition, we found spatially distributed uses based on the users’ perception of the spatial affordances of SSAs. These spatially distributed uses lead us to propose the process of externalization as a necessary extension of domestication theory for the appropriation of networked devices.