Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be so over Zoom

9 replies

MariaTia · 22/12/2020 16:58

I'd be really pleased to never have to do another zoom ever again. Can't face doing anything sociable on it, really over it. It was a novelty at first, but not any more. Prefer speaking to friends over the phone or even text.
Anyone else feel like this?

OP posts:
20mum · 22/12/2020 17:37

Of course it isn't invariably necessary to see the person you phone. That is over-used. On the other hand, the possibilities for online conferencing are in their infancy.

Although the opposite of a techno-pioneer, I would guess that in future, things will be normalised at a much better level. Perhaps it is analogous to the first unwieldy manual typewriter, after centuries of quill pen communication.

Probably a giant screen will be a standard part of any home/home office. Probably, there will be multiple small pictures of everyone 'in' the room, and an automatic enlargement and subtitles when that person speaks to the 'chair' of the meeting.

Presumably normal formal convention of any traditional committee would be followed, but with new advantages. e.g. the entire meeting would be aware that a certain few people were waiting to 'catch the eye' of the chair. Plus, everyone could refresh their knowledge of the name and essential info about the others 'present'. The option of speech recognition to type out what is being said would help those 'present' as well as doing the job of the minute-taker.

(It will do no harm to have the records as a form of re-training for the more male-biased meetings. i.e. possibly most)

For large meetings such as Climate Summit, this could and should be online as an example of how to do it. A main 'room' and a number of side rooms, (presumably with people able to switch their identity on and off), would allow people to discuss in small groups or individually in substitutes for 'bumping into someone'.

dontgobaconmyheart · 22/12/2020 17:39

Yes 100% OP except for i never found it to be a 'novelty' in the first place. I don't use it and never have and only would do if it was specifically required - ie a medical appointment or if i had a job interview or something.

I do think unfortunately that sort of thing will become commonplace, and accept there are benefits to that for lots of people absolutely, but it's really not for me. Ditto Amazon Alexa and its ilk, which will be in my home over my dead body.

wildraisins · 22/12/2020 17:54

Yes, I get a lot of Zoom fatigue, too. Sadly it's all I've got at the moment for keeping in touch with some very important people in my life, so we must make do. It's my birthday soon and I have organised a Zoom party because I'd rather that than not see my friends' faces.

OmarListening · 22/12/2020 18:00

I'm so sick of it too.

I'd rather text.

MariaTia · 22/12/2020 19:19

Interesting 20mum

Happy birthday in advance wildraisins Wine

OP posts:
Hardbackwriter · 22/12/2020 19:27

I think that @20mum may well be right that it will remain very ingrained in business practices compared to before, and that it will improve in quality and complexity of the technology as a result. But I thought OP was talking about using it socially? I think that socially we've actually all learned what a crap substitute it is - better than nothing, but I don't think all that many people will be choosing it once the alternative isn't nothing. Back in March I thought it might be a game changer, I was seeing more of friends who live far away than I had in years and I wondered whether friendships would be less bounded by geography. Now I don't think that at all; the enthusiasm for video calls fell off for me, my friends and I think the majority of people (who is still doing zoom quizzes now?).

DrWankincense · 22/12/2020 19:31

It's is a bit shit really but the alternative platforms my workplace uses have not been any better. Glitchy, people talk over each other - added to which you get to see your own gorgeousness, double chins, eyes bags and all Grin.
Can't see it changing anytime soon so I'm busting out the hats and wigs.

MariaTia · 22/12/2020 19:46

Grin I do wonder if it's a different experience for the young and gorgeous, especially as they're more used to things like snapchat and FaceTime. Looking at your jowls and wrinkles staring back at you is not as appealing.

One thing I've noticed lately is it actually seems to make me feel more remote from people, when its friends, than talking on the phone does. I don't want to do social stuff on it any more really, and its so tiring

OP posts:
FreeFallingFree · 22/12/2020 19:54

Videoconferencing is useful for work, and I actually prefer zoom interviews to face to face, since I find the waiting in reception beforehand the most nervewracking part. However, I have half a dozen Teams calls a day with work. The last thing I want to do is more in the evening.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page