Alexa Is My Collective Unconscious

“Frank, Would You Like to Hear Your Most Common Alexa Request?”

I grew up in the Great Plains which defined my sense of distance. All activities were a 45 minute drive, and my car was the intimate space of a horny, music-loving teenager. I keep a prodigious collection of otherwise useless cassette tapes (and certain, other items) in storage as a contingency against the real possibility that cognitive decline will make me question whether it all actually happened.

When I moved to upstate New York in 1990, all activities were a 20 minute drive, but my car remained my sanctuary. CDs replaced cassettes, and Amazon Music replaced CDs.

When Amazon Echo Auto was released in 2019, I was an early adopter. Since then I have driven the highways and byways of the Eastern Great Lakes, calling out a stream of musical whims with instant gratification.

In this way, Alexa for Auto became my collective unconscious. Alexa played whatever song, album, book, or podcast drifted past the gossamer transom of my subconscious. I developed set lists and genres for city driving…