Beyond commands and queries: Exploring smart speaker utilization in Romania’s domestic environments

Smart speakers have spread faster than smartphones, becoming popular worldwide. In Romania, despite the fact that these devices are not directly sold and Romanian is not available in the language menu, they have gained popularity among technology enthusiasts, particularly those passionate about voice technologies and smart homes. Drawing on repeated conversations with Romanian users of smart speakers conducted between 2020 and 2022, as well as 300 comments collected from local e-commerce sites (such as Emag.ro and OLX.ro) and online platforms (YouTube, Change.org), I analyzed how these users navigate language limitations, adopt these devices, and integrate them into their daily routines. By examining Romania’s computing history, I identified a techno-vernacular approach to computational devices that helped me understand how Romanian users interact with these devices through what I call language hacking practices. The focus on language, the most sensitive aspect highlighted by my respondents and online commenters, became the catalyst for this research, opening new avenues of analysis. Beyond being conversational devices, smart speakers can be used in diverse ways. Concepts such as genre repertoire and usage genres helped me highlight how actual usage occurs and how users integrate these devices into their established media repertoires. Understanding the media ideology of these users was essential to deconstruct their views on newness and remediation, as well as their perspectives on delicate but pertinent subjects such as algorithms and privacy. Particularly important in the context of smart speakers is the discussion about privacy and surveillance, given that these devices have potent microphones and are always in listening mode. This brings to the forefront delicate discussions about privacy within the most private space—the home. Moreover, beyond the dialogue with the devices, the management of the household through commands, automation, and the integration of other smart devices to create a smart home, smart speakers are producing significant changes within the domestic space. These changes are visible in the domestic soundscape, the experience of the space itself, the relationships between family members, the gender divide highlighted by the emergence of new roles within the household, and the redistribution of parental roles with children.