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MARCH 5, 2021
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ZOOMFATIGUE
So called Zoom fatigue is real, and its effects are growing. What is the cause, and what is the solution? Had you ever heard of Zoom a year ago? Probably not. Back then if someone was going to videoconference they probably used Skype, a platform that seems to have all but disappeared in the zoom to Zoom.
Seemingly overnight, Zoom became the default means for surviving pandemic isolation in both work/business dealings and in personal and family relationships. In December of 2019 the company reported 10 million average daily users. By March of 2020 that number had grown to 200 million, and by April it was 300 million. That’s a 3,000 percent increase within about 4 months. Zoom became the
room where everyone meets for school (from kindergarten through doctoral level), yoga lessons, choir practice, doctor visits, church services, weddings and funerals, business meetings, family reunions, and much more. It all sounds great. So what’s the problem? Zooming can be exhausting in the same way road trips are. There is energy in movement, but paradoxically, sitting for hours — whether
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HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
in a car, an office chair, or on the couch — seems to drain away our energy. A peer-reviewed study by Stanford University researchers published last week in the journal Technology, Mind, and Behavior identified key reasons for Zoom fatigue, along with steps to minimize or prevent its side effects. The spotlight In the old days (2019), Please see ZOOMING page 2
It would be really great to be wrong about this, but here at Medical Examiner world headquarters we have this sinking feeling that there’s a “déjà vu all over again” moment looming on the horizon. Déjà vu is a French phrase meaning “already seen.” Right now it feels like we’re on a replay loop we’ve seen before. It goes like this: pandemic numbers start to go down, and they maintain a downward trend. In response, government and business leaders reopen or reduce restrictions. People start to emerge from their cocoons and spread their wings. And then the numbers start to spike all over again and the roller coaster starts yet another climb. Right now COVID numbers are on a very encouraging downward trend. We all fervently hope they keep going down. If they do, we are going to truly Please see HISTORY page 3
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