Family, friends, neighbors and even TV talk-show hosts are now meeting and broadcasting from home. Meanwhile, Microsoft, Google and Zoom are struggling to meet the demand for their videoconferencing services.
Friday, April 10, 2020
4 strange things that happen when you use videoconferencing
Family, friends, neighbors and even TV talk-show hosts are now meeting and broadcasting from home. Meanwhile, Microsoft, Google and Zoom are struggling to meet the demand for their videoconferencing services.
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This article tried. I feel like as someone who is required to use a video platform for all my classes about 25 hours a week, I know all of this. This is what I like to personally refer to as “Boomer Article”. It points out the obvious things because apparently some people can’t see two feet in front of them. I do like how the article keeps it concise and relevant with only 4 main points. The lack of contact aspect they talked about in this article is debatable. Yes you may not have clear eye contact, but if you are on a call with people you are regularly with and you know how they react to things and their mannerisms, I have found that you can look at someone, look at the camera, look back at them, and you have just made eye contact. This may just be me and my friends and not a universal occurrence, but it can happen. I also feel like the constant feeling of being watched and being conscious about it hasn’t changed much from being in person. That may just be me and my self-conscious self, but I think I am always adjusting my hair, how my shirt sits, what I’m doing with my body, etc. Acoustics are something that isn’t new, but does throw a wrench in things sometimes.
These four things are easy to identify but it is hard to think about how deeply their effects reach us. One that stands out to me particularly is the idea that everything is much more noticeable when you are looking at everyone’s faces floating in the middle of your screen. Everyone is looking at everyone else all the time when that is not usually what happens. There are usually multiple people looking at one person and not each other so people doing things that would not be weird in a group setting may be weird now. The other thing that caught my attention was the audio one. Obviously we know if our voice cracks or if we are speaking quietly so that people are not able to hear us, but now, we are not aware if we are being heard when we are speaking clearly because the internet could do something strange and then the people on the other ends do not hear us.
This sounds all too familiar to me. Videoconferencing is inherently more awkward than interacting in person. When I'm sitting in a classroom I don't feel like everyone is watching me the way I do in a Zoom call. This is likely because I have no way of constantly looking at myself when I'm in school. This adds an extra hurdle, but I'm getting over it. I doubt other students really care to look at and scrutinize me when I'm sitting in class. The lack of eye contact does continue to bother me though. Addressing the professor and other students is more difficult, so I definitely speak up less than I used to. I'm trying to get over this because I learn so much more when I do ask questions. Ultimately, this is temporary. But it definitely reinforces the fact that nothing can replace face to face learning and in person interactions.
I relate to the weird things talked about in this article. Switching everything, especially school, to online is definitely a struggle. There are a few things that resonate with me. The lack of eye contact during class has definitely been strange. I just don’t know where to look, or I forget where to look because looking at my screen is different from looking directly into the camera, as the article says. I think that affects the way other people perceive me and the words I’m saying. At the same time, I think the lack of eye contact makes it easier for me to get distracted and zone out during a meeting. I don’t feel the need to be as present as if I were sitting in class with real people. The feeling watched and feedback noise definitely affects me too. Having my mic and video on makes me feel exposed. I don’t know why I feel that way even though I’m just sitting there and staring at my screen during a meeting.
I am a bit at odds with referring to things like "Zoom University" as the new normal. Mainly because I see this all as temporary and definitely not normal in many cases. I understand the need to be optimistic as we are all adjusting to this and calling it the new normal helps. In some ways, it is because it's now the way that we go about things but even then, I cannot refer to it as the new normal. This doesn't mean that I'm being pessimistic and not open to adapting and working around all of this, because I am and I have been. I just don't see it as being referred to as normal. Not yet at least. It's a substitute, not a standard. With that being said, these four things made me laugh more than I expected to. Maybe because I do, in fact, feel watched while videoconferencing. At least more than I would be if I were in class. Which I was I tend to turn my video off. I know that I make weird faces at times and so on. And maybe because I do find myself looking at people's eyes to try and see if they are looking at the person speaking. As much as I think that I can tell who is paying attention and who isn't, truth is, I can't. This is such an interesting time...
To me, this article seems strange and does not really add any new information. Obviously there is going to be a lack of eye contact when every person is looking at a different square camera on Zoom. No one could ever possibly know if the person is looking at them because Zoom places everyone’s picture in a different place on everyone’s screen. That seems fairly obvious to be a consequence of this new format of learning. I am obviously also going to feel watched knowing that 25 other faces could be looking at me at any time. I feel like everything in this article is just common sense and an obvious consequence of distance learning. This new format is nothing at all like personal connection. I hate when people start to describe this as the new normal because this should never serve as a viable replacement to traditional learning. We are absolutely not being given the same education, which is to be expected given that there is a global pandemic, however I just feel like we should not be settling for this as our new normal when it is clear that more work needs to be done.
I resonate with all four of these observations. I do not even feel satisfied with talking to people on the phone; I always prefer FaceTime. Even if I am calling my dad to ask him if we have a certain grocery item at home or something mundane like that, I will FaceTime him instead of calling. So you can imagine how I feel when I am in class with all of my friends, and we cannot connect via eye contact or small gestures. I always keep Zoom on gallery view because I just have to see everyone’s faces when we are talking and listening. It’s just so weird, especially when people have their cameras off in smaller meetings where observing body language and facial expressions are so important. I just feel like I am missing out on the most important facets of human interaction, and in a creative art that is deeply emotional, and is rooted in connectivity, it makes me go insane. Also, I always feel like I am being watched, which also makes me go insane.
I hate referring to this as the new normal. It shouldn’t be. This article puts into words a lot of the (for lack of a better term) “off-ness” about video conferencing as our current standard form of group communication, even if it is not incredibly groundbreaking in its assertions. I think that my generation (whatever you want to call it) has become normalized to incorporating new technology into our lives at the drop of a hat; the boom of consumer technology that only continues to get smarter is all that we’ve known while growing up. So for us, these points are obvious, but we go with it because right now, this is what we’ve got to work with. The eye contact (or lack thereof) has been the most off putting thing to me, and also being able to see everyone in my class gridded out like the Brady Bunch, which is so unlike our studio setup.
I have never been a fan of video calls or meetings because of how conscious they make me. I always end up concentrating on things like how do my surroundings look like and whether or not I look presentable. On the other hand, these things do not even cross my mind when I am having face to face interactions with people.
However, given the present circumstances, the only way I can interact with people is via video calls or meetings which is making me go insane, even though I am trying my best to not let it affect and distract me as much as it does.
This, as I have realized, will be a constant thing that I will have to work with and try to get better at it, so that I can concentrate on the essential things that these meetings have such as what the people are talking about and what their facial expressions tell about them.
One of the most frustrating things I’ve noticed about video conferencing is the lack of eye contact. I’m so used to being able to look over at my friends in class and smile or laugh or just react to what’s going on in the room. But in Zoom when you look in someone’s direction they have no way of knowing that you are looking at them since their screen isn’t the same as yours. It makes video conferencing feel very lonely. Another thing I have definitely noticed is the feeling of being watched. It’s hard to act normal and feel comfortable in Zoom because you feel like everyone in the meeting could be looking right at you at any time without you knowing it. It’s easy to tell if people are looking at you in person, but in a video conference it is completely different. And lastly it’s so hard to get used to turning on and off your mic whenever you need to speak.
Zoom is certainly posing a challenge for all of us simply not being in the same room. The article discusses the differences between face-to-face and online interaction, but I’d be interested in the article taking the next step. Depending on the length of this physical isolation period, I wonder if social habits and patterns are going to change. Obviously there’s no way to quantify this, but are there going to be more awkward interactions? Will people make less eye contact in person, or make more because they haven’t been able to in such a long time. Zoom of course, poses a lot of social challenges and I can certainly understand a lot of those. Normally in class, I face the teacher and pay close attention, turning my whole body so that I can focus. This works for a class that’s boring or a class that’s interesting and keeps away any distractions. I’m finding myself now sitting in front of a 24” monitor now and only truly paying attention if the class is more interesting than the rest of the internet, which is a very high bar.
If I'm being totally honest, I don't look good on camera and that is the main reason I don't like this whole videoconferencing phenomenon. With regard to the closing paragraph of this article, I sincerely hope this does not become the new normal. First of all for the above reason, and secondly because my eyes are so goddamn tired of being glued to the screen all the blasted time and my eyesight is crap enough. I am not so much bothered by the lack of eye contact (which I'm perfectly capable of dealing or not dealing with in a conversation). I don't feel particularly scrutinized by my fellow Zoomers. I also don't particularly care if people are looking every which way when Zooming, we all do that in lecture and during class anyways. However, I am vain, and webcams really don't do me justice so there's that.
The inability to have direct eye contact in Zoom has been something that is posing some unanticipated consequences for some of the group work I am doing. On top of this, the option to turn off your camera has added another barrier to that level of communication. Though eye contact through our cameras is still not as significant a connection as it is in person, that is still a major improvement from a screen full of people's names or still profile pictures. One of my group work assignments in particular has had troubles with this and our teacher had to specifically request that all members of the group turn on their cameras while we are in meetings. I hadn't noticed the impact until that teacher had brought it up, but I realized that not being able to see people's faces at all can make it feel like they aren't engaged or that what you are saying isn't reaching them, even if it is. This isn't a judgement towards anyone that may want/need to have their camera off, I just have noticed that this phenomenon has had significant impact on the work I have done since starting remote learning.
I really enjoyed reading this article as I realized that the little things that I have noticed during this "videoconference era" are actually issues that have come up with people all over, specifically the lack of eye contact. I've always thought I hated eye contact. Talking to someone face to face, I've never been one who was entirely comfortable looking someone in the eye for too long. However, the complete inability to make any eye contact at all, I feel, has really affected my conversations with many people. When I'm in a group video call, whether in a class or simply with my friends, it doesn't have much of an effect because when you're talking to a group of people not everyone is going to be looking at you the whole time. When I'm on a video chat with one person, not being able to make eye contact almost makes the conversations feel less authentic. I often catch myself wondering if the person I'm talking to is paying any attention to what I'm saying simply because we hadn't made any eye contact throughout our entire conversation. It's weird the amount of small things that you notice about everyday conversations once you can't have those normal face to face interactions anymore.
I feel like a lot of us commented on this article and its because it's so true. There are so many things that are extremely frustrating about video conferencing, and this article also acknowledges some of the small things we are experiencing subconsciously. There are a lot of things about Zoom that is super awkward, and I think the weirdest is making no eye contact. I think its even weirder because sometimes we can actually make "eye contact" with each other, and then we'll immediately text eachother to be like "were you just looking at my screen ??". Thats kind of a fun little treasure. I really hope that this doesn't become more normalized after this because I really hate it. While it is nice t wake up a minute before class and leave the camera off while I eat a bowl of cereal and watch a lecture, after the lecture we don't have the excitement of being together, going to lunch together, etc. I just want things to go back to normal.
I’m not entirely sure what the point of this article was - it seemed to be formatted for people who either will be videoconferencing in the near future, or already are, but we all know this already. The entire country is videoconfrencing on an unprecedented scale, we’ve all been doing it for weeks, and we’ve noticed already that it’s hard to make eye contact and there’s a preoccupation with how you look and sound - I know personally I stress over how my voice sounds and how I look on camera in a way that I never have when seeing people in person. There’s not really any tips here on how to avoid these things, because there really aren’t any - the eye contact issue ends up being frustrating, because if you look at the camera you can’t actually see the other person like you’re meant to, but if you look at the person it doesn’t look like you’re looking at them. I honestly think that lack of eye contact is one of the reasons videoconfrencing will not take off as the new normal after this is over; maybe not the largest, but certainly one of them.
Personally, I am not a fan of basically living online. I definitely agree with the note of bizarre intimacy in these situations. College professors are usually not privy to students' childhood bedrooms. Another aspect brought up in the article is the disconnect between audio. I have found it difficult to participate when wifi is spotty having to speak and then be told “you're breaking up, can u type it in the chat” then everyone is silent while you try to type as fast as you can into the chat. Not only is it awkward, it does not make participating easy. One thing many people are a bit nervous about is the idea that “online learning worked once.” Now that we have been online and it has “worked” what if schools decide this is the proper method to use anytime there is something relatively minor going on like snow or when students or teachers are unwell. I think there is an understanding that you lose a level of engagement and love of learning that is fostered in an in-person environment. But some may be willing to sacrifice that on a regular basis. One thing for sure this pandemic has made me respect folks doing online school while life is still happening.
This stuff is rough to think about. I totally agree that there's something that just feels... off and wrong about videoconferencing. I never really thought about the eye contact point, but I totally agree, now that I think about it. I really rely on eye contact to show my professor I'm listening (or, you know, not listening...), so I think that has really messed with my ability to focus. I also just feel bad for professors when they ask a question and everyone is muted so no one responds. It just feels sad. The point about how it feels like everyone is watching you... boy, do I really relate to that one. I never have my camera on anymore because I found myself just staring at myself and making sure I looked presentable to everyone else rather than, you know, actually listening to the lecture like I'm supposed to. Having a camera in front of your face at all times isn't exactly comforting. All in all, I know I'm full of complaints right now, but if this is what we need to do to get our education and keep ourselves and others safe, then so be it. The sooner we comply, the sooner it will all be over. I'm just sad that these are the circumstances at all.
I would like to add the 5th weird thing that happens during a videoconference: Feeling like you are talking to the empty space. When zooming with three or more people, especially when someone is presenting something, listeners usually turn off their mics to avoid creating background noises. However, that also removes the sounds of attentiveness and agreement. I could ask everyone to turn on the cameras to see them nodding or showing some kind of reaction, but it is difficult to see it when you have the presentation on the screen to share. Anyhow, the silence makes me worried about whether they are following my points and even whether they are still there. As the article suggests, this would become a new normal and we have to find ways to adopt it. I began asking one or two listeners, like who will present next or a host, to keep their mics on so that the presenter can feel the existence of the audience. It has been working very well so far!
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