Am I the only one who hasn't done social Zoom calls

[HallFloor]

Or face time or any of the other ways to "see" people?

I've spoken to my parents and my sister. I have a good friend, who lives away, I've called and shared a few drinks with, but we haven't felt the need for video calls, we've just used the phone!

In meetings I turn the camera off unless I really can't avoid it, what do you gain from "seeing" people you can't be with over talking to them?

We haven't used zoom socially. I did have a weekly Skype with my parents so they could see the grandkids but it was too stressful for everyone and the DC just ran around being silly. We're all quite introverted and happy in our own company.

We have online meetings for work and we do like the cameras on to see better how people are doing within themselves and try to pick up on any wellbeing issues early. But not everyone likes it and I understand why.

I don't like 'phone calls as I prefer to see facial cues so Zoom is good for me. I've had lots of social Zooms and my firm had a Christmas Zoom quiz last week which I really enjoyed.

I did in first lockdown. Not for one to one calls, I used the phone for those, but for chatting to a group. Second lockdown we were allowed to meet one to one outside, so I did that instead.

DC used Facetime for grandparents and occasionally for friends (more the 7 year old than the 5 year old). Even now the 7 year old uses her school Teams to have chats with her friends, occasionally - I feel we’ve been accelerated into her using tech way faster than I expected.

I occasionally do them with a group of friends, mainly for a birthday, but I absolutely hate it and come away feeling worse than I did beforehand.

I know they are a positive thing and it’s my only way of socialising atm but God I find them very uncomfortable.

Hate social Zoom calls, I find them really stilted and awkward like noone knows when to speak, then people start speaking over each other. I can't face doing them anymore!

I haven't done any, work or social.

hate video calls
Can’t bear seeing my face, I know you can flip it
Actually haven’t called anyone, video or otherwise

I'm the same, I honestly look so ugly it makes me feel really down. Use lots of WhatsApp chats but even those have petered out a fair bit. Then I get paranoid that everyone else is chatting elsewhere without me!

For work meetings I do much prefer them over mass telephone calls. You can see who is speaking so you don't talk over one another and can see facial expressions/ read the room a bit more. Group telephone calls are the very worst in my opinion.

Out of work I hadn't been so keen and couldn't see the advantages over a telephone call but in lockdown we started a weekly FaceTime with my mum and dad and I loved it. I cried the first time just to see them sitting there in their familiar living room being them. I felt really reassured. Maybe you think that's over dramatic but mum was very ill and shielding and has since died and it meant a lot to me to be able to see her in some way.

I haven't tried any 'social group' Zoom calls really so far just work and family. Our work Christmas do is going to be a Zoom party though and I am willing to give it a try at least.

Strangely I’m finding the (few) social zoom/FaceTime calls much easier and less stressful than the formal ones. I think partly because with social ones you can pick which platform to use. But every school/organisation/etc I have to do one of these calls with seem to use a different platform.
Zoom
Microsoft teams
Councils own version
Councils different department, different version to above (obviously as having the same version throughout would be far too logical 🙄)
3 different schools own versions...

And for some reason the camera on my laptop has (genuinely) given up working. Oh dear, what a shame, never mind....😁 sorry, not sorry.

Same with my parents and brother back in the UK. Just telephone.

So glad it’s not just me! I only do calls with my face showing if there’s no alternative, for work.

No way will I zoom for social life.

I can’t be the only person who likes to potter on the phone surely? I live in a small flat so spend enough time sitting on my arse, if my phone calls were all zoom it would be worse.

Being blunt, I also sometimes do quiet chores when people are on the phone. Or a bit of drawing - more doodles but it’s all good practice.