Why Zoom can wipe you out

 It’s not just you: Zoom fatigue is a real thing. — Dreamstime/TNS

 

Covid-19 pandemic has moved our lives into a virtual space. Why is that so exhausting?

The tiredness doesn’t feel earned. We’re not flying an airplane, teaching toddlers or rescuing people trapped in burning buildings. Still, by the end of the day, the feeling is so universal that it has its own name: Zoom Fatigue.

Stanford University professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab, has some answers.

In research published Tuesday in the journal Technology, Mind And Behavior, he describes the psychological impact of spending hours every day on Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, FaceTime, or other video-calling interfaces. It’s the first peer-reviewed article to analyze zoom fatigue from a psychological perspective.

There are four major reasons, according to Bailenson, that video chats make us so weary. And he proposes some easy fixes.

We’re too close for comfort

Think of the normal meeting. You might be looking at the speaker. Or maybe you’re noticing those fancy new window blinds, your colleague’s weekend tan or the traffic on the streets below.

But on Zoom calls, everyone is staring at everyone, all the time. And our faces can appear too large.

When so many faces are so close to ours in real life, our subconscious takes it personally. It tells us: They either want to pick a fight, or have sex.

“ What’s happening, in effect, when you’re using Zoom for many, many hours is you’re in this hyper-aroused state,” according to Bailenson.

Solution: Exit out of the full-screen option to shrink face size. Use an external keyboard to create a comfortable space between yourself and the masses.

We really hate watching ourselves

For most of us, that quick morning glimpse in the mirror is all we really need. After hours of self-gazing, we turn critical.

We notice that sloppy shave job. The overdue haircut. The dead plant over our left shoulder. Or maybe the light’s all wrong, casting deep shadows, and we look like a member of the witness protection programme.

“It’s taxing on us. It’s stressful,” said Bailenson. “There are negative emotional consequences to seeing yourself in a mirror.”

Solution: Use the “hide self-view” button, which you can access by right-clicking your own photo, once your face is framed properly in the video.

We’re trapped in a chair

Humans are restless creatures. During phone calls, we like to wander around. Even if stuck at a meeting at a conference table, we find ways to stretch – leaning back in a chair or gazing pensively at the ceiling.

But with videoconferencing, we’re limited by the camera’s narrow field of view.

This is both physically and mentally deadening. “There’s a growing research now that says when people are moving, they’re performing better cognitively,” Bailenson said.

Solution:

An external camera farther away from the screen lets you doodle, release neck tension, do a seated twist or fidget, just like you do in real meetings.

Turning video off periodically during meetings is a good ground rule to set for groups, creating a brief nonverbal rest.

We can’t see body language, so it takes more energy to communicate

At their best, meetings can act like subtle symphonies, with everyone harmonising their postures, laughter and knowing glances. We read each other’s cues. Conversations have rhythm.

Not so with Zoom. There’s a rigidity, with only one speaker at a time. We must listen closely for sentence completion, so we don’t interrupt. To make an important point, we must add drama and flair. “If you want to show someone that you are agreeing with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up,” said Bailenson. “That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate.”

Solution: During long stretches of meetings, give yourself an “audio only” break.

Don’t just turn off your camera – turn your body away from the screen. Gaze at that wall that needs painting, or the birds outside the window. Maybe hang up a few clothes, even wash a few dishes.

Want to measure your own Zoom fatigue? Because so many organisations – including schools, large companies and government entities – have reached out to Stanford communication researchers to improve videoconferencing setups, the team responded by devising the Zoom Exhaustion & Fatigue Scale, or ZEF Scale, to help measure workplace exhaustion.

The goal is to help change video technologies, so stressors are reduced.

To take the survey and participate in the research project, click here. – The Mercury News/Tribhttps://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2021/02/24/new-research-why-zoom-can-wipe-you-outune News Service

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Get groomed for Zoom: Four ways you can look better on video calls

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Sitting further away from the camera, wearing neutral colours and doing simple makeup that helps to define your features are all good ways to present well over a video call. Photograph: Getty Images

Work From Home - Audio/Video Tips

https://youtu.be/X2E4Rww0NQs 

From better angles to lighting and dressing up yourself and your background, here’s what experts say you’re probably doing wrong on video calls. — dpa

 

Wow, doesn’t he look tired today! Since video calls have become part of our daily work routines and entire groups of friends have virtual parties, the technical and aesthetic flaws of video chat have never been more apparent.

With these four tips, you can make it look like you’re streaming from a TV studio and look your best in front of the webcam.

1: Consider the perspective (don’t film up your nostrils)

Even with the tiny webcams built into laptops, a lot can be done. It starts with how it's positioned, explains video hardware specialist Natasja Sluka.

“A look from above can unintentionally give off an arrogant vibe.”

Try to position your camera at eye level, just like in a personal conversation. To avoid filming into your nostrils when using a laptop camera, you should place the laptop higher up, for example on some books.

Around 50 to 100 centimetres, or an arm’s length, is a good distance from the face. This also makes for a good image with some free space around the head and shoulders.

2: Let there be light (but not back light)

A lot can go wrong when it comes to lighting. A window or bright lamp behind you means everyone will see a dark shadow where your face should be.

But too little light also doesn’t make for a good picture. Sluka advises using daylight as much as possible.

Warm colours with light yellow or red tones, as opposed to fluorescent light, help create a healthier complexion.

If all of that is not enough, a lamp behind your notebook will bring more light onto your face.

If you want to do it right, then buy a ring light, says make-up artist Jasmin Reuter.

The light is reflected in the eyes of the person being recorded, and shadows on the face are also eliminated.

”For those who don’t want to put on make-up just for a video call, a ring light and a really good camera is my top tip, ” she says.

“You almost look better than in real life, as the frontal illumination of the face makes your complexion look nice and soft.”

3: A little foundation doesn’t hurt (you too, men)

The camera is merciless and can act like a magnifying glass.

”Blotchy, shiny skin is all the more noticeable on video calls, ” says Reuter.

“If you have to go on an important call, such as one that’s being recorded, I would advise men to use some no-pigment foundation to counteract the shine.”

Depending on the camera position, under-eye circles can appear even darker. If in doubt, use some concealer.

If you wear make-up anyway, Reuter advises using some blusher on video calls.

“And some mascara, which opens your eyes and makes you look more alert.”

Some patterns on your top can give off an agitated vibe, and may even flicker on someone else’s screen.

It’s therefore recommended you avoid eye-catching patterns such as checks or stripes, says Reuter.

If you wear large earrings or necklaces and a headset at the same time, then watch out that they don’t touch each other.

Otherwise you’ll annoy everyone on the call with a constant banging noise.

4: Dress up your background, too

You’ve probably discovered countless interesting things in the home of the people you’ve talked to during a video call. The other person might not have wanted to show you all that.

”Check in advance what’s in view and think about what impression you’re giving off, ” says Sluka. Making sure things look tidy won’t hurt either.

Alternatively, there’s a range of tools included in video conferencing applications like Teams, BigBlueButton, Jitsi and Zoom that will let you do things like blur the background.

”This makes sense if the shelf in the background is a bit of a mess or there is a pile of dishes in the kitchen in the background, ” says Sluka.

However, the soft focus doesn’t always work accurately: Sometimes your hair or hands disappear, especially when you move.

Some programs will let you display any background image - particularly useful for people in small and dark rooms. Plain, light backgrounds work wonders, perhaps a photo of a beautiful, light office.

Holiday photos and funny designs might serve as a conversation starter, but ultimately are just a distraction.

And should you invest in real conferencing equipment? It's a matter of opinion, says video expert Sluka. Most of the time, the built-in cameras - especially with new notebooks - are really good.

For older computers, it can make sense to buy separate hardware, but the sound is more important. The first thing to invest in is a good microphone or new Bluetooth headset. – dpa 

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