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 布里奇顿’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.
这个时代对黑人女性的负担尤为沉重，她们在当今黑人家庭和更大的社会中肩负着重要的影响和责任。消费反映我们独特历程的内容可以是一种亟需的自我保健。尽管黑人女性在银幕外担任主角的人数占绝大多数，但承认我们在银幕上所做贡献的内容仍然匮乏。虽然找到这样的内容仍然具有挑战性，但在黑人社区，这样做往往会引起庆祝，在社交媒体上引发热门话题，在家里也会成为话题。
美国观众正在考虑比以往任何时候都更广泛的广播网络、自选有线电视捆绑服务和数百种流媒体选择，每种选择都有价格。由于黑人观众希望在内容上投入时间和金钱，平台提供的内容多样性可能成为消费者在试用期后权衡保留哪种服务的决定性因素。
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.
