Social robots as the bride? Understanding the construction of gender in a Japanese social robot product

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study critically investigates the construction of gender on a Japanese hologram animestyle social robot Azuma Hikari. By applying a mixed method merging the visual semiotic method and heterogeneous engineering approach in software studies, the signs in Azuma Hikari's anthropomorphized image and the interactivity enabled by the multimedia interface have been analyzed and discussed. The analysis revealed a stereotyped representation of a Japanese "ideal bride"who should be cute, sexy, comforting, good at housework, and subordinated to "Master"-like husband. Moreover, the device interface disciplines users to play the role of "wage earner"in the simulated marriage and reconstructs the gender relations in reality. It suggests the humanization of the objects is often associated with the dehumanization and objectification of the human in reverse. Copyright © 2021 Authors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)105-120
JournalHuman-Machine Communication
Volume2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Citation

Liu, J. (2021). Social robots as the bride? Understanding the construction of gender in a Japanese social robot product. Human-Machine Communication, 2, 105-120. https://doi.org/10.30658/hmc.2.5

Keywords

  • Human-machine communication
  • Social robots
  • Gender representation
  • Visual semiotic method
  • Software studies

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Social robots as the bride? Understanding the construction of gender in a Japanese social robot product'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.