The spirit of the times has changed a lot since March 2020, the month in which many people understood the concept of closure. Phrases such as social distancing and flattening the curve evolved from abstract concepts to living philosophies. Today, even the word pandemic is undergoing a shift, while Gen Z includes’ ‘panorama’ and ‘panini’ as brain-soothing alternatives.
Another entry in this glossary Zoom fatigue, a phrase of debatable origin to describe a sense of exhaustion fueled by the use of the video conferencing platform Zoom.
Jeremy Bailenson, a professor of communication at Stanford University, tells me he had an “a-ha-moment” a week in the shelter-in-place (another novel that became the everyday descriptor) during March last year when he spoke to a BBC reporter. . She asked for a price, planned a Zoom call and ten minutes later he realized there was no reason to use video.
He wrote an op-ed that appeared a few days later in the Wall Street Journal. In the article, he describes a state of exhaustion driven by video conferencing and ‘non-verbal overload’.
This week, Bailenson published the first peer-reviewed article deconstructing Zoom fatigue from a psychological perspective. In it he discusses the four primary reasons video calls can exhaust you:
- There is excessively very intense, prolonged eye contact.
- It’s exhausting to see yourself for so long.
- Video calls prevent us from moving around.
- Video calls require a lot of cognition.
Why Zoom Fatigue Exists – and What to Do About It
Bailenson knows what it’s like. He was hit by Zoom fatigue – especially early in the pandemic. Since then, she has “developed different workgroups to develop standards for holding off video during a majority of our calls.”
Various aspects of the Zoom interface can lead to psychological consequences, he explains. Criticism is that observations and analysis so far are based on academic theory and research – not a study of Zoom users, although that is currently what he is working on with collaborators. Zoom is the focal point of its newspaper because of its ubiquity: it is not the only offender, but it is the most well-known.
And like most technologies that are criticized, be it texting or video games, it is not the platform itself that is harming it – it is how we use it and the cultural contexts that drive its use. The Zoom interface can be improved, but we also have all the freedom to make the experience better.
Bailenson writes that the four possible explanations for Zoom fatigue are ‘excessive amounts of close-up viewing, cognitive load, increased self-evaluation of staring at video of yourself and limitations on physical mobility’, writes.
If he takes these drivers into account, he tells me the first step you can take to combat Zoom fatigue is to right click on your video and “choose hidden self view. “If you do, members of the assembly can see you, but you will no longer see the video of yourself.
“It will take a few days to get used to it – we have all become accustomed to the control and balance of real-time non-verbal feedback – but you will feel better over time,” says Bailenson.
This advice responds to the idea that it’s tiring to see yourself during video chats. Previous studies suggest that seeing a reflection of yourself means that you are more critical of yourself, Bailenson explains. The mirror-like nature of Zoom simulates a similar experience and can in turn cause negative emotional consequences.
‘It will take a few days to get used to it … but you will feel better over time. ‘
The level of eye contact via Zoom and the size of the faces on our screens meanwhile cause the brain to regard the video call as an intense situation – to put you in a hyper-excited state. To combat this, Bailenson recommends taking Zoom out of the full screen option and using an external keyboard to increase the distance between you and the screen.
He also recommends choosing from time to time to take audio-net Zoom meetings as a way to keep yourself moving during calls and to lower the cognitive load you see. Video conferencing, Bailenson argues, transforms non-verbal communication. Natural reactions and clues become more performative and stressful – watching and thinking about yourself thinking too much, and spending ‘mental calories’.
What comes next – While anyone can take the steps recommended by Bailenson, it is also in workplaces to create environments that are friendly to adaptations.
“Remember that bosses choose how often they want to magnify versus call, and whether or not video is,” says Bailenson.
‘Employees do not have the same luxury and are often forced to spend time in the spotlight. As a manager, I only realized this until my colleagues made it clear to me. ”
Whether Zoom and the resulting Zoom fatigue will be as ubiquitous as it is today in March remains to be seen. In December, Zoom had an average of 350 million daily meeting participants – in December 2019 it was closer to 10 million. But stocks also fell after news of the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine. The future is probably one where we can choose to use Zoom, but do not have to.
Bailenson is still curious about how Zoom fatigue affects individuals in different ways. He says, for example, “there is reason to predict Zoom fatigue will be worse for women as mans. ”
And we still do not know if there will be long-term consequences associated with the positive platforms that Zoom has allowed. Despite all the fatigue, we were also able to hold Zoom birthdays, bar or batmitswaans and weddings in a year where personal gatherings were often not an option. Zoom squares are often filled with faces you enjoy in the real world, but it’s good to take a break sometimes.