Virtual Spaces Today

One way to discover the future is to reflect on the present. Earlier this year, a blogger named Shawn Sprockett published a detailed article called “Video Conferencing Is Our New COVID-19 Reality” (https://uxdesign.cc/video-covid-19-9ac8cd306bd9). This quick nine-minute read projects an in-depth timeline on how telecommunication has developed over the past 70 years. I have derived three main topics from his article: The current problems of video calling, current solutions to them, and future solutions.

Before we can delve into the current problem, let’s review the history of this virtual communication tool. In 1968, AT&T dropped Picturephone to the public market (Sprockett, 2020). Personally, I was astounded when I read the information. Even back then, early innovators had a dream to expand communication. However, the technological resources were inadequate and the Picturephone was limited to 10 minutes of service per use. The concept was too abstract at that time and eventually was not developed until the 1990s. Companies like Webex, UStream aand Macromedia emerged and began developing the software. Even though the systems worked, it lacked the sense of community. For instance, all users were anonymous which made it difficult for colleagues and students to increase course engagement.

This is a concern even in today’s world. As efficient as Zoom, Google Meets and other platforms are, they are still lacking that work environment. I have personally conducted multiple online events and have seen people either mute themselves the entire time, or turn off their cameras simply because “they can”. People tend to put video calls as a lower priority even though the task at hand might be important. One question to ask oneself is: If this were an in-person event, would you still be doing what you are doing? In other words, would you be wearing pajamas while attending a live lecture, or would you cover your entire face with a hoodie because you did not look good that day? These are some social etiquette issues from the use of video calls which have not been formally established.

Another problem with the lack of person-to-person contact is the increased mental health cases. Sprockett explained further how people at home are isolated at home are at higher risk for depression, anxiety and a sense of disconnectedness (Sprockett, 2020). From my experience having the last 2 semesters online, I have come to miss the minor human interaction, from chatting in the queue of Tim Horton’s to greeting the professor good morning. This must be a similar experience to the current working environment. Video calling strips the small snack room discussions and bathroom breaks, making work mundane and one-sided. But this is an issue currently being solved. For example, non-communication software like Dropbox and Google Docs have increased opportunities to work on documents in real time. The chat functions, stickers and sharing features have given more interactive chances to co-workers. However, it is ideal for future innovators to add more humane functions.

In short, our current virtual reality has improved tremendously the past several decades. The variety of online options also comes with additional concerns for aspects such as mental health, insufficient humane interaction and workplace environmental contact. These areas of concern will most-likely be worked upon for the future and, in the long run, online work spaces look like they will permanently stay for the betterment of the technological era.

References

Sprockett, S. (6 April 2020). Video Conferencing Is Failing Our New COVID-19 Reality. Medium. https://uxdesign.cc/video-covid-19-9ac8cd306bd9