I thought I could survive Zoom without burning out. I was wrong.
Authors . Health . Media . Student lifeComputer-mediated communication has made everything possible in the digital dimension. But it comes at a price, as the human mind and body is exhausted. Luckily, we can do something about it.
“I’m not a cat.” What a hilarious statement.
Mr. Ponton, a lawyer who was attending an online hearing on Zoom, attempted to claim his human identity calmly and professionally.
Using Zoom is not that easy. It is okay to keep away from all those fancy functions and just be an entry-level user. But if you suddenly become a “cat” and struggle with removing the filter, it is going to be a disastrously frustrating experience.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take much time to master these high technologies. However, so-called “Zoom fatigue” – a term that refers to the mental and physical exhaustion brought about by excessive digital interactions – is having negative consequences on our well-being. It is Zoom-related burnouts that have made me realize I am actually more fragile than I thought I was.
I enjoy involving some gestures and eye contact in face-to-face interactions as I believe they can make my ideas more compelling and convincing. But it seems the digital mode is imposing tough “quarantine” restrictions on these nonverbal cues by making them less visible to the audience. As a consequence, I begin to work harder to get my points across, e.g., by raising my voice. Unsurprisingly, this is one of the major causes of “Zoom fatigue.” According to a study conducted by Stanford researchers, as we are consciously trying harder to communicate in video chats, we consume more mental calories and our cognitive load becomes much higher.
I know I had better be content with Zoom. In this era of pandemics, Zoom, and any other virtual communication tool at large, are actually a lifesaver. The point is that being face to face is to communication just as a teapot is to a teakettle – we can skip the luxury of owning a teapot, but without a teakettle in our presence, the tea will remain dry and unlively. Not to mention all the flexibilities Zoom entitles us to: we can turn off the camera and sneak into the bathroom without anyone noticing or multitask between a lecture and News Feed page on Facebook.
So what can we do to protect ourselves from Zoom anxiety? The first step, as I believe, is to lower our expectations. We must confess that online platforms have their own limitations. It is an unrealistic expectation that they can be as effective as face-to-face interactions. We can also tell ourselves we are all in this together and try to be as supportive as possible. It would be a good idea to show a little more patience and be generous with active responses, e.g., a few nods (but not in an exaggerated form!). And a smile is perhaps the best remedy for burnout. ◼