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 브리지턴’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.
이 시대의 부담은 오늘날 흑인 가족과 더 큰 사회에서 상당한 수준의 영향력과 책임을 동시에 짊어지고 있는 흑인 여성에게 특히 심각하게 다가왔습니다. 우리의 독특한 여정을 반영하는 콘텐츠를 소비하는 것은 매우 필요한 자기 관리의 한 형태가 될 수 있습니다. 흑인 여성이 스크린 밖에서 주도적인 역할을 맡고 있음에도 불구하고, 스크린에서 우리의 공헌을 인정하는 콘텐츠는 여전히 부족합니다. 이러한 콘텐츠를 찾는 것은 여전히 어려울 수 있지만, 흑인 커뮤니티에서 소셜 미디어에서 화제가 되고 가정에서 대화가 이루어지는 것은 종종 축하할 만한 일입니다.
미국 시청자들은 그 어느 때보다 다양한 콘텐츠 옵션과 함께 가격도 다양해지면서 방송 네트워크, 단품 케이블 번들, 수백 개의 스트리밍 옵션 등 그 어느 때보다 폭넓은 스펙트럼을 고려하고 있습니다. 흑인 시청자들이 콘텐츠에 시간과 돈을 투자하고자 하는 만큼, 플랫폼이 제공하는 콘텐츠의 다양성은 체험 기간 이후 어떤 서비스를 유지할지 고민하는 소비자에게 결정적인 요소가 될 수 있습니다.
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.
