Zoom anxiety is still a big problem, a year after the pandemic started

This story is part of a series about life a year after the pandemic. Tomorrow, read an article about tips to fight Zoom anxiety.

When coronavirus blocks started a year ago and much of the world has turned to Zoom and other video chat services to work and socialize, Amanda Stevens, a project manager for the state of New York, found herself with some very specific anxieties about her work at home videoconferences. One was fighting the urge to fix her hair all the time, now that she was spending hours staring at her own reflection. The other? “My very old dog is prone to loud and unpredictable flatulence and I live in fear that he will be picked up by my microphone … and not be attributed to my dog,” she said.

One year after pandemic, video chat platforms have given many people the ability to work from home and stay in touch with family and friends. We hear a lot about “Zoom fatigue“- the feeling of total tiredness that you feel after a day looking at the screen in meetings in front of the camera, got worse when most of your socialization after work it’s happening through video too. But the related concept of “zoom anxiety” has received less attention, although it can be more debilitating for many – and have potential career implications.

There are few studies on Zoom anxiety, but a November survey of 2,000 domestic workers found that it stems from several sources: technology and audio problems that cannot be fixed; being unable to read people’s body language; feel that you are not being heard; having to answer a call without time to prepare your appearance; worry about non-professional training; and being talked about. (To be clear, in this story I’m using Zoom as a replacement for all video chat platforms, since it essentially became a verb for video calls in 2020.)

“When you’re face-to-face, you can perceive a lot of things unconsciously in people’s body language – you notice if someone is not reacting well or if someone looks a little uncomfortable,” said Libby Sander, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Bond University in Queensland, Australia, which is studying the psychological effects of working from home. “You can get tips on when to interfere in a conversation and whether or not to follow a particular thread of discussion based on reading the room. It is very difficult or even impossible to do that on Zoom.”

Even as vaccines are launched across the country, the pandemic and the move to work from home are spurring many companies to create a hybrid workforce, where people divide their time between home and office – meaning that videoconferencing is probably here to stay. But if you suffer from anxiety when using these camera tools, know that you are far from alone.

‘Nightmares followed’

Vivek Wadhwa, a distinguished member of the Harvard Law School’s Work and Life at Work Program, makes several TV appearances through Zoom. He once had to change his shirt quickly before an interview, and he did so without realizing that the camera was on. Fortunately he was not in the air, but it was close enough that “the nightmares would follow,” he said.

“Do you remember the ‘college dream’ or the ‘exam dream’ in which you are late for class and miss the exam, or can’t find the classroom or studied the wrong subject?” Wadhwa said. “The new ‘college dream’ is when you forget to remove your pajamas before joining Zoom.”

Early in the pandemic, Caroline Jo, a branded merchant in Orange County, California, dressed for videoconferences, wore makeup and played with Zoom filters. But as time went on, the energy used in these meetings was depleted, and she found herself stressed and unable to sleep the night before, filled with video calls.

“I am a marketer, and marketers are stereotypically known for being a lively and outspoken group, but I am deeply introverted and introspective, which I believe is very valuable to work with,” said Jo. “However, when it comes to Zoom meetings specifically, anxiety comes from even the most basic things – strange silences, the ‘who should speak next?’ Game, constant attention, forced small talk and technological confusions like audio problems or being bold and talking, even though I knew I was mute all the time. ”

These stressors can also arise outside the workplace. Kristen Taylor Hunt, an artist from Louisville, Kentucky, started avoiding her therapy sessions when they switched to a video chat format. “I often can’t concentrate on what is really happening or being said because I am concerned if my reactions seem genuine or people think I don’t care what is being said because I look bored or angry,” she said. As a person with multiple autoimmune diseases, “COVID really affected my mental health … I really need therapy.”

Social video chats can also cause stress. When you see friends in person, you don’t feel the same pressure to “act socially” as you do in video chat, said Suzanne Degges-White, professor and head of the counseling and higher education department at Northern Illinois University. in a Psychology Today column. Just be present in the same space. But in the video, you’re more likely to feel like you need to be constantly talking or having fun in some way – otherwise, you’ll just be sitting smiling at the camera.

Career opportunities and the gender gap

Some aspects of Zoom’s anxiety seem to be gendered. Several studies have shown the gender inequalities present in personal meetings and group settings. Generally, men are seen as more competent to speak for longer, while women are seen as less competent to do the same. Women are also much more likely to be interrupted or talked about. These problems are exacerbated by video chatting, Sander said, and women may find it difficult to get a chance to express their views.

A small 2017 study examined the look of women during Skype video calls and found that those who were socially anxious spent more time looking at themselves – especially if the person they were talking to criticized them.

Video chat platforms also tend to reward those who speak the loudest, as this is the voice that will be captured. And when you go through that awkward moment when two people are talking, the delay can make it difficult to get back to the other person, added Sander.

Outside the elements of speech, many women also reported feeling stressed and apologizing for their appearance on camera, while men tend to be less concerned about how they look or what they are wearing. Jason Sudeikis wearing a sweatshirt accepting her Golden Globe award via Zoom, compared to the full make-up and evening dresses of most of the nominees, is a pretty solid example of this.

For people across the gender spectrum, working from home can offer fewer opportunities to build professional relationships, especially if you were new to the job when the pandemic hit. Your work may be less visible to your manager and you have fewer opportunities for the casual discussions that arise in an office setting about the work you are doing or any problems you are having, Sander said.

“We will have to wait and see how this plays out in terms of career progression, but right now people are more concerned with health and safety, and with the continuity of business and having a job,” he added. “But I think there are big issues that we need to be aware of.”