By means of the use of sound, the computer is given a voice and thereby the ability to contact and communicate with its user and the world around it. In short, it comes alive. Three interesting aspects can be drawn from this Tamagotchi-like nature of the computer. First, the computer uses sound to draw our attention the same way that the sound of a telephone or an alarm does. Our responses to these sounds are part of our social behavior (…) Second, the computer is able to communicate the nature of its own state, for example: “I am running out of power” (…) The ability to communicate the possibility of its own ruin, thereby commanding us to act, is remarkable and unique for a tool; not many tools interfere with our social behavior in this way. Third, by the use of sound the computer not only communicates with the user, it announces its presence within a larger context and exposes the actions of its user.
— Breinbjerg, Morten. “System Event Sounds.” Software Studies: A Lexicon. Ed. Fuller, Matthew. Leonardo. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2008. 243-50.
