Time to start ‘un-zooming’
Lockdown was recently chosen as “word of the year 2020” by Collins dictionary — to no one’s surprise, so large was its impact this year on economies, education and every part of human life. A close second, in my mind at least, would have been “Zoom,” which quickly surfed the coronavirus (COVID-19) wave (or tsunami) and became a household word. It even became a verb — “let’s zoom this weekend, OK?” — without any dictionary’s approval.
Zoom, the online video platform, has replaced Skype as the default video communication app or software. And as soon as it became clear that COVID-19 and lockdowns would affect most human activities, other similar platforms vied for market share. All of a sudden, besides Zoom and Skype, there was Google Meet (formerly Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat), Microsoft Teams, Google Classrooms, Streamyard, Remo, GoTo Meeting, Slack, BlueJeans and probably others. At my university, we have been using Blackboard Collaborate (the Ultra version), and Google Meet as a backup, but I have used most of the other platforms for meetings, lectures, conferences, TV interviews and social “gatherings.” Needless to say, each had its own learning curve and idiosyncrasies. I must admit that at first I enjoyed the convenience of teaching, meeting and doing workshops from home. But soon the workload and the demand on my online time grew exponentially, and the negative aspects of “zooming” began to manifest themselves. Indeed, my colleagues and I began to miss physical classrooms and students (in person), and to a lesser extent encountering colleagues in hallways and meeting rooms. In fact, when students were surveyed at the end of last semester, they said what they missed most when classes moved online were classroom interactions, the professor’s body language, etc. Within a few months, and in some cases just a few weeks, many of us started “zooming out.” Education articles and blogs started to discuss “zoom fatigue,” and even “zoom gloom” and “zoom doom”! I would not be surprised if someone asks for a “zoom vaccine,” and I am sure “zoom diets” will soon be offered, perhaps even “zoom fasting.”
What we all fear is that this “zoom world” becomes the new normal. Indeed, a number of universities and companies are considering cost-cutting “blended” models, where offices and classrooms are reduced. But the post-COVID world will need to be planned very carefully.
Indeed, online wellness is a new trend. Video meetings now often include breaks, with informal relaxation activities that involve music, stretching exercises or short meditations. But this could be a double-edged sword. Indeed, the more we make zooming “friendly,” the more online or “blended” teaching and meetings will be the norm after COVID-19. We humans are a social species; we need close, direct interactions. Technology such as Zoom can be a boon in emergency periods such as this year. But we need to do everything to socialize and humanize technology, and use it to remind us of the benefit of close, direct human relations.
Nidhal Guessoum is a professor at the American University of Sharjah.