Everyone is now working from home on Zoom, as it’s one of the better meeting [and now coffee and cocktail] platforms.
I’m a Zoom veteran, having started on it four years ago, so it’s an integral part of my work.
I’ve recently read a number of articles on ‘Zoom Gloom’, addressing fatigue, dissonance, and exhaustion with virtual meetings. But hang on.
Is it Zoom overload now, or is it the current reality we’re all facing? Could that dissonance stem from our basic need to connect, but can’t quite really ‘connect’ in a virtual meeting?
Zoom is a terrific way to meet with others, but I see for some there’s an almost forlorn feeling when our meetings end. It still pales in comparison to any face-to-face meeting.
The Wall Street Journal recently had an article entitled Why Zoom Can Exhaust Us. I recognize the fatigue. The writersuggests that our exhaustion stems from non-verbal overload and long stretches of direct eye contact. As someone who has worked in Asia for decades, it got me thinking how these new virtual experiences play out cross-culturally. In some places, direct eye contact is a must; attention must be paid. In other parts of the world, however, indirect eye contact just feels more comfortable.
Having facilitated Zoom sessions across multiple cultures, I’ve seen (and can feel) weariness, but I actually thought it was due to time-zone differences. Could this be Zoom’s default speaker mode? Staring at anyone or anything for a long stretch can be mind-numbing.
