Should We Be Polite to Alexa?

According to Edison Research, about three out of four homes will have smart speakers by 2025. Those devices respond to voice commands. Many people in the U.S. already ask phones to do things like give directions. Should we be polite when we talk to them?  

Some adults think saying please and thanks to technology is a way to form good habits. After all, Alexa sounds like an adult, and kids should respect adults. 

Others argue that saying please to Alexa or a phone is like saying please to a toaster. It’s just silly.

I think that we should say please and thank you to robots and devices. It’s a way to show that we appreciate having technology in our homes. Just because they are robots doesn’t mean you should yell at them.  

By being good to robots, you get used to being good to people. If you’re rude to robots, you might learn that it’s OK to be impolite. And that’s never true! 

When I’m polite, I’m showing respect. Why should I show respect to something that doesn’t have a heart or feelings? Smart speakers are not living things. And grown-ups are in charge of teaching me to be polite. Smart speakers aren’t in charge!

Also, when I type a search into Google, I never say please. Why should I say please when I talk to it?