Black audiences have always been aware of the power of TV to influence ideology and aspirations. A Different World, その 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 ブリジャートン’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.
この時代の重荷は、今日の黒人家族やより大きな社会で大きな影響力と責任を担っている黒人女性にとって特に深刻である。私たちのユニークな旅を反映したコンテンツを消費することは、必要とされるセルフケアの一形態となりうる。スクリーンの外では黒人女性が主役を務めることが圧倒的に多いにもかかわらず、スクリーン上での私たちの貢献を認めるコンテンツはまだ少ない。そのようなコンテンツを見つけることはまだ難しいかもしれないが、そうすることが黒人コミュニティで祝福され、ソーシャルメディアのトレンドトピックや家庭での会話になることはよくある。
かつてないほど多くのコンテンツの選択肢があり、それぞれに価格が設定されているため、アメリカの視聴者は、かつてないほど広範な放送ネットワーク、アラカルトのケーブルバンドル、何百ものストリーミングオプションを検討している。黒人の視聴者がコンテンツに時間とお金を投資しようとするとき、プラットフォームが提供するコンテンツの多様性は、試用期間後にどのサービスを継続するかを検討する消費者の決め手になるかもしれない。
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.
