Adele Lowitz
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Kaiwen Sun
Co-Presenter: Ziying, Peng
Research Mentor School/College/Department: School of Information / Information
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 6 – 4:40pm – 5:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors:
Presenter: 117
Abstract
Children are critical members of the home, and they are users of various types of smart home technologies such as smart speakers, smart doorbells, lightings, etc. Children are increasingly using such technologies for learning, playing, and living. So it’s important to understand children’s experiences with smart home technologies. This study draws on real-world smart home technology marketing materials from major tech companies and brands(ex. Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon) for different types of smart home products (ex. thermostats, smart speakers, smart doorbells, video cameras) to evaluate how they portray children and their families. Through qualitative coding analysis, we are able to identify themes and patterns in how children and families are presented in the marketing promotion of the smart home technologies As a result of this data, we have been able to discern which companies market more towards children and families and what strategies different companies implement. We are also able to evaluate ways in which companies utilize children’s images (ex. smart camera monitoring children, children interacting with smart speakers), to see how families are being marketed to, and what the intended child use is. In addition, our data also evaluates whether and which companies provide additional safety guidelines such as child privacy policies, or parental controls.
Interdisciplinary, Social Sciences
