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Using filters like this reminds me of the discussion in Infinite Jest, where people used masks and tiny dioramas to present a more attractive appearance over vi

by floren 6y ago

Using filters like this reminds me of the discussion in Infinite Jest, where people used masks and tiny dioramas to present a more attractive appearance over video calls before eventually abandoning it all and going back to audio-only. Personally, I keep my webcam off at all times. Constantly mugging for the camera to show that I'm following along gets old.

vlunkr 6y ago
I have not read that yet, but it seems very accurate. If you look up "Zoom fatigue" there are lots of people writing about why video calls can be so stressful. When you've got a webcam on you're way more aware of what you're doing with your body and face than you would be in an in-person meeting. Most people at my company have their webcams off at this point.
- jedimastert 6y ago
  I haven't really noticed it personally. It might be because my meeting load didn't really increase during quarantine. We have like one extra "watercooler" meeting and I actually don't mind chatting with my coworkers. I will say that I generally keep my camera and mic muted if I'm in a meeting where I'm not actively part of the discussion. Maybe it's my performance background, but if I'm talking (and especially if I'm presenting) it really important to me to be able to read the room, and it's really hard for me to present if I can't.
- rodgerd 6y ago
  As someone with mild autism, I welcome the neurotypicals to literally every day of my life.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
honkdaddy 6y ago
Shhh - I'm working on a blog post about this very idea after finishing Jest a couple months ago. :) Happy to see I'm not the only one who made the connection!
- floren 6y ago
  Wait til you hear my groundbreaking, never-before-voiced comparison between AirPods and the Seashells from Fahrenheit 451 ;)
  - hoseja 6y ago
    More like the Seashells from Demolition Man.
therealdrag0 6y ago
I like being face to face for small conversations with coworkers, but the bigger the group the less likely I am to use camera, also if someone is sharing or presenting there's no reason to use camera.
qwertay 6y ago
I had my camera on for the first week of WFH but I live with other people and having to constantly indicate to them whether my camera is on or not gets old fast.
S_Bear 6y ago
I keep my Nintendo Switch positioned near my camera. Makes it look like I'm really into the meeting.
unglaublich 6y ago
It's just nice to see the people that you're working with.
Benjammer 6y ago
So the options are either "mug for the camera" or shut off your camera completely? You don't think there's any middle ground here?
- nextlevelwizard 6y ago
  Who cares? Face camera brings literally nothing to the discussion. If you are having a meeting you are having the meeting about something and that something is more important to be on the screen and in focus than your stupid little face. And if the meeting is about socializing the camera makes even less sense, you are probably doing something together and that should occupy your attention and not some silly moving picture of someone's face. I don't get this new face camera trend at all. Just because you can do it doesn't mean it adds anything. Whenever I see live streams and videos with face cam it always takes more away than adds back in.
  - sixstringtheory 6y ago
    Not true. There are many different ways a given statement in a fast-moving Slack channel may be interpreted. When you have a person’s facial expressions and tonal inflection as context, you can prune most of those possibilities. Face to face communication is way better than text.
  - asmosoinio 6y ago
    > Face camera brings literally nothing to the discussion. I would 100% disagree on that. In my humble opinion the "mental bandwidth" for communication is about 2-10x with video+audio compared with plain audio. Because you can see how the other person(s) react etc.
  - neuronic 6y ago
    > Who cares? Face camera brings literally nothing to the discussion. They do if you're a human with actual emotions and not the stereotypical IT guy that's basically a meaty robot "only following logic" (always the shittiest devs to work with btw no matter how good they are on the technical side). > And if the meeting is about socializing the camera makes even less sense, you are probably doing something together and that should occupy your attention and not some silly moving picture of someone's face. Leave it to a techy forum like HN to produce disconnected, unreal shit like this sentence. Newsflash, mimics and gestures exist for a biological reason and are an essential part in communication. It's exactly why emojis are a thing in the first place.
asmosoinio 6y ago
> I keep my webcam off at all times. Disclaimer: No idea who you are or what and whom you work with. But still: I think you and the people you have calls with are missing out. Seeing peoples reactions brings very much additional value to communication.

by floren 6y ago

vlunkr 6y ago

I have not read that yet, but it seems very accurate. If you look up "Zoom fatigue" there are lots of people writing about why video calls can be so stressful. When you've got a webcam on you're way more aware of what you're doing with your body and face than you would be in an in-person meeting. Most people at my company have their webcams off at this point.

jedimastert 6y ago
I haven't really noticed it personally. It might be because my meeting load didn't really increase during quarantine. We have like one extra "watercooler" meeting and I actually don't mind chatting with my coworkers. I will say that I generally keep my camera and mic muted if I'm in a meeting where I'm not actively part of the discussion. Maybe it's my performance background, but if I'm talking (and especially if I'm presenting) it really important to me to be able to read the room, and it's really hard for me to present if I can't.
rodgerd 6y ago
As someone with mild autism, I welcome the neurotypicals to literally every day of my life.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

honkdaddy 6y ago

Shhh - I'm working on a blog post about this very idea after finishing Jest a couple months ago. :) Happy to see I'm not the only one who made the connection!

floren 6y ago
Wait til you hear my groundbreaking, never-before-voiced comparison between AirPods and the Seashells from Fahrenheit 451 ;)
- hoseja 6y ago
  More like the Seashells from Demolition Man.

therealdrag0 6y ago

I like being face to face for small conversations with coworkers, but the bigger the group the less likely I am to use camera, also if someone is sharing or presenting there's no reason to use camera.

qwertay 6y ago

I had my camera on for the first week of WFH but I live with other people and having to constantly indicate to them whether my camera is on or not gets old fast.

S_Bear 6y ago

I keep my Nintendo Switch positioned near my camera. Makes it look like I'm really into the meeting.

unglaublich 6y ago

It's just nice to see the people that you're working with.

Benjammer 6y ago

So the options are either "mug for the camera" or shut off your camera completely? You don't think there's any middle ground here?

nextlevelwizard 6y ago
Who cares? Face camera brings literally nothing to the discussion. If you are having a meeting you are having the meeting about something and that something is more important to be on the screen and in focus than your stupid little face. And if the meeting is about socializing the camera makes even less sense, you are probably doing something together and that should occupy your attention and not some silly moving picture of someone's face. I don't get this new face camera trend at all. Just because you can do it doesn't mean it adds anything. Whenever I see live streams and videos with face cam it always takes more away than adds back in.
- sixstringtheory 6y ago
  Not true. There are many different ways a given statement in a fast-moving Slack channel may be interpreted. When you have a person’s facial expressions and tonal inflection as context, you can prune most of those possibilities. Face to face communication is way better than text.
- asmosoinio 6y ago
  > Face camera brings literally nothing to the discussion. I would 100% disagree on that. In my humble opinion the "mental bandwidth" for communication is about 2-10x with video+audio compared with plain audio. Because you can see how the other person(s) react etc.
- neuronic 6y ago
  > Who cares? Face camera brings literally nothing to the discussion. They do if you're a human with actual emotions and not the stereotypical IT guy that's basically a meaty robot "only following logic" (always the shittiest devs to work with btw no matter how good they are on the technical side). > And if the meeting is about socializing the camera makes even less sense, you are probably doing something together and that should occupy your attention and not some silly moving picture of someone's face. Leave it to a techy forum like HN to produce disconnected, unreal shit like this sentence. Newsflash, mimics and gestures exist for a biological reason and are an essential part in communication. It's exactly why emojis are a thing in the first place.

asmosoinio 6y ago

> I keep my webcam off at all times. Disclaimer: No idea who you are or what and whom you work with. But still: I think you and the people you have calls with are missing out. Seeing peoples reactions brings very much additional value to communication.