Zoom fatigue
Zoom fatigue refers to the feelings of anxiety, tiredness, and burnout that can result from prolonged use of videoconferencing platforms, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This phenomenon became prominent as many individuals shifted to remote work, relying heavily on tools like Zoom for meetings, socializing, and education. Studies indicate that the fatigue stems from several factors, including the unnatural amount of eye contact and the constant focus on one’s own image during virtual interactions. Additionally, the limitations in reading nonverbal cues and gestures in video chats can increase the cognitive load on participants, leading to heightened stress.
Research has identified that the structure of video meetings can impact mental health, as participants often struggle with feelings of being scrutinized or confined by the screen size. To mitigate Zoom fatigue, both employers and individuals can adopt strategies such as reducing meeting durations, scheduling breaks, and allowing for time to engage in physical activities. Participants are also encouraged to experiment with managing their video settings to create a more comfortable experience. As remote interactions continue, understanding and addressing Zoom fatigue is essential for maintaining productivity and well-being.
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Zoom fatigue
Zoom fatigue refers to unpleasant results of lengthy usage of virtual communications platforms for video meetings. It arose in 2020 during the global COVID-19 pandemic and increased significantly as use of videoconferencing by businesses and individuals skyrocketed. Zoom is one app used for business, education, and personal video meetings. Because of its prevalence during the pandemic, it became associated with the effects of videoconferencing. However, people also met over Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and other platforms.
Background
The global coronavirus pandemic began in late 2019 in China. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported cases in several countries by late January 2020. The WHO declared a global pandemic on March 11. Over the next few weeks, many US states issued temporary stay-at-home orders for all but essential workers. Businesses scrambled to enable employees to work from home. Often, remote work required videoconference meetings.
While multiple videoconferencing apps were available, Zoom became prevalent in the early months of the pandemic. Zoom launched in January 2013 and grew steadily, reaching ten million daily meeting participants in December 2019. In May 2020, its usage jumped to two hundred million daily meeting participants; by June, the number shot up to three hundred million. Zoom became the videoconferencing app of choice for ninety thousand schools in twenty countries and for some government bodies.
Furthermore, many states banned gatherings or limited the size of groups. As concerns about spreading the virus remained high for months, people turned to Zoom for personal use such as chatting with family and friends, having virtual birthday parties, and attending virtual concerts.
The structure of the workday changed for many people. Fortune magazine reported that workers were spending many more hours a week in meetings during the pandemic. In February 2020, before the lockdowns, professionals were in meetings on average 14.2 hours a week. In October 2021, they devoted 21.5 hours a week to meetings, more than half of the standard forty-hour workweek. Workers began reporting they were exhausted by the daily hours spent in meetings and the feeling that nothing was accomplished.
Overview
Zoom fatigue is a sense of anxiety or tiredness associated with virtual communication. Some describe it as burnout. Researchers have pointed to several possible reasons for these feelings. For example, video meeting audio has an almost imperceptible delay that has a negative impact on one’s perceptions about interpersonal relationships. Some blame it on anxiety over finances and other issues caused by the pandemic. Another possibility is that for all the face time people may be getting through virtual meetings, they are missing out on the human connection formerly made at the office water cooler or across a table.
Microsoft researchers used electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment to study electrical activity in the brains of subjects over two days. On day one, the participants attended four half-hour meetings on different subjects back-to-back over two hours. The second day, they had ten-minute breaks between meetings and were led in short meditative activities. The beta-wave activity that measures anxiety and stress rose consistently over the two hours of meetings on day one. When participants meditated during the ten-minute breaks, their beta-wave activity dropped back to a low level.
The Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL) examined the psychological effects of videoconferencing. The study came up with several reasons why the practice causes fatigue. The researchers also developed the Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue Scale, a fifteen-item questionnaire.
The first cause of Zoom fatigue is the amount of eye contact between participants and the size of faces on the screens. Both are unnatural. For example, when in a face-to-face meeting, individuals look around at others in the room, glance down at papers in front of them, and take notes; they are not usually being stared at unless they are speaking. In a virtual meeting all participants are looking at one another almost constantly. Depending on the size of the monitor, a one-on-one meeting in which the other person’s face is unnaturally large can feel like a violation of personal space. Individuals can minimize this stressful situation by reducing the size of the video window and using a keyboard that allows one to sit away from the monitor. A second reason is that in real life, individuals do not spend considerable time looking at themselves, but in video meetings, they are watching everyone including themselves on the screen. Some studies have found that people are more critical of themselves while seeing a reflection of themselves, so being exposed to one’s video image for potentially hours a day results in stress. A solution might be to right-click one’s photo and choose “hide self-view.” A third factor is the limited field of view of the camera, which requires individuals to stay relatively still. This is not a natural way for most people to interact with others. Moving an external camera back or adding an external keyboard can give one more room to move, as can periodically turning off one’s video. A fourth reason is that it is more difficult to read nonverbal cues and gestures in a video chat. When trying to use gestures to communicate, one has to take care to do so within the video window and ensure it is visible, for example by nodding vigorously. This focus on communicating in such situations can require a lot more energy than one otherwise uses in an encounter. A solution might be to turn off the camera and literally turn away from the screen to get a respite from all the faces.
Employers can take steps to reduce Zoom fatigue. For example, they can reduce the time employees spend in meetings. Other approaches include identifying windows of time when people are encouraged to set up meetings, and blocking time out in the workday to focus exclusively on work without interruption. Building in short breaks between meetings can help lower stress levels.
Individuals can also find strategies to fight Zoom fatigue. One approach is to decide how best to organize their time. Some people find having all meetings within a block of time allows them to use the rest of the day to focus. Others may prefer to break up the day between tasks and meetings. Some people may be able to take a break from the computer and get some exercise, for example attending a meeting via cellphone while taking a walk or using an exercise bike.
Bibliography
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Iqbal, Mansoor. “Zoom Revenue and Usage Statistics.” Business of Apps, 11 Jan. 2022, www.businessofapps.com/data/zoom-statistics/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022.
Lee, Jena. “A Neuropsychological Exploration of Zoom Fatigue.” Psychiatric Times, 17 Nov. 2020, www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychological-exploration-zoom-fatigue. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022.
Mann, Allyson. “Cameras, Not Meetings, Cause Zoom Fatigue.” UGA Today, 9 Sept. 2021, news.uga.edu/cameras-not-meetings-cause-zoom-fatigue/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022.
Peck, Emily. “Meetings Now Take 21.5 Hours of Your Week—and They’re Pretty Much Ruining Your Job.” Fortune, 24 Nov. 2021, fortune.com/2021/11/24/meeting-overload-office-zoom-fatigue-pandemic-work/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022.
Pressman, Aaron. “Easing ‘Zoom Gloom’: How to Reduce the Stress of Virtual Meetings.” Fortune, 20 Apr. 2021, fortune.com/2021/04/20/zoom-fatigue-covid-remote-work-meetings-conference-calls-video-meetings-stress-microsoft-research/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022.
Ramachandran, Vignesh. “Stanford Researchers Identify Four Causes for ‘Zoom Fatigue’ and Their Simple Fixes.” Stanford, 23 Feb. 2021, news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022.
Walker, Tim. “How ‘Zoom Fatigue’ Impacts Communication with Students.” National Education Association, 16 Oct. 2020, www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/how-zoom-fatigue-impacts-communication-students. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022.