Black audiences have always been aware of the power of TV to influence ideology and aspirations. A Different World, the Cosby Show spinoff, made me want to go to Florida A&M University, a historically Black college, and Jodie Landon, a standout in the animated 90s classic Daria, personified my overachieving high school years in a small town.
The enormous impact of feeling seen prompted my mom to call me the first time our hometown news anchor wore her natural hair. It’s how political commentators and national correspondents like NBC’s Kristen Welker, MSNBC’s Joy Reid and CNN’s Abby Philip are changing perceptions of who can lead a news desk and whose voice matters. It’s also why a character as fantastical as Bridgerton’s Lady Danbury can seem as relatable as our most eloquent and brutally honest auntie.
For the rest of America, the isolation of prolonged social distancing has perhaps hinted at the isolation many diverse populations have long felt from being underrepresented in the office, at school, or even in public policy. As African Americans navigate these challenges, the role of television content has become heightened. No longer merely a source of entertainment, information or even inspiration, TV consumption in Black households has become essential to how we cope, connect and endure in the midst of COVID-19 and the layered crises that have disproportionately impacted black and brown communities during the last year.
Beban di era ini menjadi semakin berat bagi wanita kulit hitam, yang memikul pengaruh dan tanggung jawab yang signifikan dalam keluarga kulit hitam dan masyarakat luas. Mengonsumsi konten yang mencerminkan perjalanan unik kami dapat menjadi bentuk perawatan diri yang sangat dibutuhkan. Terlepas dari banyaknya wanita kulit hitam yang menduduki peran utama di luar layar, masih ada kelangkaan konten yang mengakui kontribusi kami di layar. Meskipun menemukan konten semacam itu masih menjadi tantangan, namun hal ini sering kali menjadi bahan perayaan bagi komunitas kulit hitam yang mendorong topik-topik yang sedang tren di media sosial dan juga percakapan di rumah.
Dengan lebih banyak pilihan konten daripada sebelumnya - masing-masing dengan harga - pemirsa Amerika mempertimbangkan spektrum yang lebih luas dari sebelumnya dari jaringan siaran, paket kabel a la carte dan ratusan pilihan streaming. Karena penonton kulit hitam ingin menginvestasikan waktu dan uang mereka untuk konten, keragaman konten yang ditawarkan platform dapat menjadi faktor penentu bagi konsumen dalam mempertimbangkan layanan mana yang akan dipertahankan setelah masa percobaan.
Parity in representation is important, but TV isn’t always about reflecting reality. It’s often a way to escape it. This makes the expansion of the stories, themes and roles Black women and Black men inhabit, both in front of and behind the camera, just as critical. Not just for the thrill that being seen has on Black audiences, but for the potential that full inclusion in the creation and distribution of TV content will have in shaping the hopes and dreams of Black families, our country and the world.
For additional insights, download our recent The New Black Family Culture: Navigating Culture Through Content report. Learn more about the work Nielsen is doing in African American communities across the U.S.
