The curse of the video link

I USED to look forward to catching a train and commuting into the city. Not any more. Thanks to the pandemic, those halcyon days are long gone. The only way I see friends and colleagues now is via a video link from the comfort of my own home. Although the technology has existed for some time, we always tended to shy away from its use in favour of the tried and trusted telephone. ‘Old dogs’ with new tricks instantly comes to mind. At the beginning, we viewed it as a bit of a novelty and I must admit seeing people rather than just hearing their voices did wonders for my mental wellbeing at first.

Now back to the present day with a population being encouraged to work from home wherever and whenever possible use of the technology spread almost as quickly as the pandemic did. And with it, a whole new business etiquette began to develop. Suddenly people could see you in your home surroundings, which introduced an element of self-consciousness. Then the newspapers picked up on the theme with endless articles on dress code, posture, what the furnishings in the background said of you, what to do and not to do and so on. In some ways, it was no different from attending a meeting in person rather than through a virtual connection; in other respects it seemed like an affront to privacy.

It was not long before the realisation dawned that connecting with business colleagues via video link made it much easier to organise meetings than ever before and that the time of day was of no consequence. Overnight there was an expectation that everyone would be available 24/7 as the logistical difficulties in organising meetings around physical locations, travel and time zones literally disappeared overnight. A case perhaps of too much of a good thing. After countless Microsoft Zoom meetings over the past year, I now know why I had previously shied away from the technology.

There are some good points. It was far easier to get people together for key meetings wherever they live or work. It is also good for the planet as the carbon footprint rapidly diminishes as people; unable to fly to various locations around the world began to use the technology much more.

We became more efficient as less time was wasted in the air, in airport lounges, in hotels, on trains and in cars and so forth. Meetings became shorter as the niceties of social interaction were dispensed with, as we became more focussed on the subject matter in question and cognisant documents and presentations on screen rather than the more traditional method of projecting on to a screen in a meeting room. There are also some pitfalls. Witness a recent episode reported in the newspapers and online which went viral around the internet when some poor lawyer on a court video call with a judge in Texas finding to his dismay that a filter had been downloaded on his laptop transforming his face into that of a cat. Truly a cat-astrophy!

Back to social etiquette. We are no longer seen in the sterile atmosphere of the offices in which we used to work. Now it is the homes where we live and our virtual background says much about whom we are as individuals.

One of the most interesting developments is the way in which this has manifested itself in a huge increase in book sales. Suddenly a bookcase in the background whilst on video link became ‘de rigour’ whether with colour coordinated book spines or carefully chosen titles, which made a statement of who you are as an individual.

Although I happen to have a well-stocked bookcase in my study which often catches the eye when on call and I have been known to occasionally pull out or refer to a text, I found it amusing that people were going to such lengths to create an impression in the knowledge that both we and they knew perfectly well that the texts were for show only and that the text might never see the light of day. Perhaps that’s why I refer to mine from time to time to make the point. I don’t for one minute imagine the book shops were complaining, no doubt laughing all the way to the bank and good for them as all of a sudden the book I fondly remembered as an item to be treasured and enjoyed while sipping a glorious glass of Rioja was back with a vengeance after years of declining sales as downloads of digital texts to iPads and the like threatened to consign it to the scrapheap of history.

So, what is it I dislike so much that leads me to entitle this article 'the curse of the video link?' Too much of a good thing, I guess. It is an innovative product that has realised its potential thanks to the pandemic, boosted sales and done its bit for bolstering shattered economies but needs to be used sensibly and wisely, otherwise there is a danger that it will rapidly take over our lives and consign the work/ life balance we aspire to or treasure to the trash bin.

There will, I hope, be an end game. Not so big but well bearded big daddy retired to Spain and 20 years on wrote a couple of humorous novels – which actually did sell – and continued to enjoy sport until his mid-eighties nicking a couple of minor tennis trophies en route. I also retired and might have got into a bit of gamesmanship (croquet ugh!) if the miserable pandemic messed up everyone’s lives in Milton’s pandemonium style. However, ‘hope springs eternal.’