Even with many students returning to campus, Zoom has become an integral part of our daily lives. As the world is rapidly changing, the research has only begun to catch up to the effects of these changes. Recent data shows that Zoom and other video conferencing services require the brain to work harder to take in information than in person conversations. This is because we pick up verbal and visual cues much easier in person and doing so online requires additional attention, a transition that has caused the phenomenon of Zoom fatigue. Though the long-lasting effects of this form of social interaction are not yet understood, evidence shows that people are less focused while on Zoom and report higher levels of self-consciousness. Moreover, Zoom can affect the way that people connect due to the delay between the speaker and the listener. In normal conversation, we are used to a rapid response time telling our brains how to perceive a situation and how to determine if our listener is engaged, even in silence. A delay of 1.2 seconds and up by a listener online has shown to cause the listener to be perceived as less attentive, engaged, and extroverted, detrimentally affecting the feeling of connection in conversations.
1. Limit Zoom meetings as much as you can.
With this existing evidence, there are many ways to combat the effects of Zoom fatigue. The first way is to limit Zoom meetings as much as possible, schedule breaks in between meetings, and schedule breaks within meetings. While this may not be a realistic solution for online school, this technique can apply to meetings for extracurriculars or clubs. The Harvard Business Review suggests replacing video calls with phone calls whenever possible to reduce stimuli and time spent staring at a screen to allow greater focus on the speaker. Many users have a tendency to walk around during phone calls, which is extremely beneficial as walking has shown to increase blood flow and fight technology related consequences. Since we are spending more time online for educational purposes, it has become more important than ever to reduce recreational screen time.
2. Hide your self view and turn your camera off when possible.
Another suggestion is to hide your self view while on Zoom. From a psychological standpoint, being in front of a camera triggers heightened feelings of self-awareness and hyper-attention that can distract users from the focus of a video call. Users are less comfortable in front of a camera leading to a performative state of mind, elevating one’s stress levels. To counteract this, the BBC and TED, most well known for creating the TED Talk, recommend hiding your self view to limit looking at yourself, despite how tempting it may be. If you have teachers who allow you to attend class with your camera off, researchers encourage you to do so as it can have a similar impact to hiding yourself and give you the illusion that you’re on a phone call.
3. Designate video conferences for professional settings.
A tip I was surprised to read is that experts recommend avoiding video calls for social or personal reasons if you use them for professional reasons. This is because our brain begins to associate Zoom or FaceTime calls with work and the user derives the same Zoom fatigue effects.
4. Don’t multitask!
Zoom has also brought prior research on multitasking to the forefront. Many users feel that since Zoom is a computer application, it is easier to “multitask” while paying attention to a call. According to the American Psychological Association, working on multiple tasks simultaneously can reduce productivity and efficiency by up to 40 percent. It may seem more productive to be checking your email, working on homework, or even checking your phone during class, but the evidence shows this is detrimental to your level of understanding during class and your overall output. A Stanford study also found that multitasking reduces your ability to remember all of the tasks as fully, which could severely impact your success in classes. It is important to note that though staying focused on a meeting is much more difficult online, not doing so influences retention.
While Zoom fatigue sounds intimidating, I like to remember that this won’t be our reality forever. In the interim, hopefully, these suggestions can help you be aware of the issues surrounding Zoom and combat the detrimental effects while harnessing all the benefits this platform has to offer.
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