Imagine your name being linked to famous places like London.
You’d expect some fun comments, right?
But Alexa Nizam’s folks couldn’t have guessed in a million years that their daughter’s name would become a punchline.
It’s one thing to be named after celebrities, but a gadget launched in 2015 flipped Alexa’s world on its head.
Yep, we’re talking about those familiar commands, “Alexa, what’s the weather?”, “Alexa, what’s the time?” that have turned Amazon’s device into something of a pop culture joke.
For Alexa Nizam, this piece of tech has pretty much “ruined” her name for her.
Alexa use to love her name.Credit: Alexa Nizam
She shared her story in Business Insider, saying:
“Growing up, I loved having the name Alexa. Aside from a brief first-grade obsession with the name Rebecca, I’ve always been happy with it and never had a reason to feel otherwise.”
But the arrival of Amazon’s Alexa changed everything, turning her name into a constant source of jokes.
At first, the references were ‘subtle’, according to Alexa – with the vast majority of people asking if Alexa enjoyed sharing the name with Amazon’s new device.
“I’d say that while they [Amazon] should have gone with something more obscure, it hadn’t really affected me,” she added.
“I was so naive.”
The jokes just kept coming, and soon, Alexa found herself getting really fed up with her own name.
Alexa says the Amazon device ‘ruined’ her name.Credit: Getty Stock Photo
She recalled: “I worked at a department store in 2018, and at least once a day, a customer would make fun of my name. ”
“‘What’s the weather today, Alexa?”What time is it, Alexa?'”
“Some would even say things like, ‘I bet you get those jokes all the time,’ as if they weren’t part of the onslaught themselves.”
And meeting new people turned into something Alexa dreaded, anxious they’d crack yet another joke about her name.
You’d think the pandemic might’ve given her a break from all that. Nope.
“During Zoom calls with coworkers, if anyone said my name, someone’s device would go off in the background,” Alexa explained.
Despite all the ups and downs, Alexa’s beginning to make peace with her name again.
“Despite the ups and downs, I’m still proud to be named Alexa,” she wrapped up her story.
Her only plea? Please don’t ask her about the weather.
