Motivation and emotion/Book/2022/Video conferencing fatigue

Overview


Videoconferencing (VC) is a type of online meeting that allows individuals and groups to engage in real-time multi-directional audio-visual communication from the same or another location, region, or even country. VC is commonly used for communication and collaboration within and between organisations, businesses, and educational institutions, but it is also used privately with family and friends (Döring et al., 2022). The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has hampered social mobility, forcing billions of people worldwide to replace face-to-face communication with virtual meetings. Zoom, Microsoft Teams,Skype and Cisco Webex have become trendy choices for video conferencing and virtual meetings, with very high adoption rates in 2020. (Bennett et al., 2021). Technology consumers began discussing video conference fatigue, a potentially new phenomenon of feeling exhausted after participating in a video conference.

In this chapter, we define "videoconferencing fatigue" as the experience of fatigue during and/or after a video conference, regardless of the specific VC tool used (see Figure 1). We will also use the famous "Zoom fatigue" synonymously with the more generic title "video conference fatigue."

Video conferencing fatigue
“The formula was simple: E + F + C = M. That is, excitement plus fatigue, plus confusion equals mistakes.” ― Rutledge Etheridge, Agent of Destruction

Origin
The COVID-19 pandemic has induced a boom in both private and professional videoconferencing in the early 2020s that elicited controversial public and academic debates about its pros and cons. One main concern has been the phenomenon of video conference fatigue.

Eric Yuan, the founder of Zoom, claims to have suffered from Zoom Fatigue. According to the Times, Yuan once had 19 video call meetings back to back. While we may or may not have had 19 meetings in a row, we can all relate to the burnout feeling experienced after videoconferencing throughout the day (Volkwyn, 2022).

Symptoms
Videoconferencing fatigue has a variety of symptoms (Riedl, 2021). Some of these symptoms include:


 * Anxiety
 * Difficulty concentrating
 * Eye strain
 * Forgetfulness
 * General tiredness
 * Headaches
 * Insomnia
 * Irritability
 * Mental fatigue
 * Muscle tension
 * Worry

Many of these symptoms overlap with burnout symptoms ( See Figure 2). According to Durmuş et al., (2022), digital burnout is caused by spending too much time on digital devices (Computers, Smart phones, Tablets etc) when involved in video conferencing. It's interesting how the symptoms of digital burnout overlap, causing negative physical, spiritual, and social consequences.

Factors

 * Personal factors
 * Technology factors
 * Organizational factors
 * Environmental factors

Zoom exhaustion and fatigue (ZEF) scale
The 15-item Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue (ZEF) scale by Fauville et al., (2021) answerable on a 5-point Likert scale.It asks questions about a person’s general fatigue, physical fatigue, social fatigue, emotional fatigue and motivational fatigue.The survey considers things like how much time you spend in meetings, demographic information, and the symptoms you experience. The goal of this research is to eventually influence how we use video software in the future to better focus on our well-being.

Videoconference fatigue score has the following subscales


 * General
 * Visual
 * Social
 * Motivational
 * Emotional

In addition ,zoom exhaustion and fatigue scale also has relationship with psychological distress, life satisfaction, and academic well-being,ZEFS scores were significantly and positively associated with anxiety, depression, and stress, and negatively associated with life satisfaction and academic well-being, supporting the scale's concurrent validity.

Psychological distress
Incremental validity of the ZEFS was explored via mediational models, where Zoom exhaustion and fatigue predicted (a) psychological distress that in turn predicted life satisfaction, and (b) psychological distress that in turn predicted academic well-being.

Life satisfaction
ZEF score negatively correlate with life satisfaction.These robust validity and reliability scores indicate the ZEFS to be a valuable tool in assessing Zoom fatigue as well as predicting other variables such as mental well-being and life satisfaction.

Academic well-being
Videoconference or Zoom fatigue is real and may have unpleasant consequences on academic well-being. The results from the study revealed that self-reported academic performance was associated with and predicted videoconference fatigue. Those who reported low academic performance experienced higher fatigue levels.

Causes of video conferencing fatigue
Video conferencing fatigue is a real thing that people experience when doing remote work, but it can be challenging to identify the symptoms. Feeling exhausted and drained after your video conferencing calls is one of the most apparent signs of Video conferencing fatigue. These are just a few of the symptoms of Video conferencing fatigue.


 * 1) Eyestrain
 * 2) Reduced mobility
 * 3) increased cognitive stress
 * 4) Mental stress

Consequences of video conferencing fatigue
Video call fatigue can make otherwise content people anxious and may increase anxiety levels in those already experiencing such feelings.Video call fatigue can cause people to feel overwhelmed when they would not usually, leading to increased tiredness and even exhaustion.

Linking video conferencing fatigue to variables
Video conferencing fatigue affects some individuals more than others.Since the pandemic started, employees and students alike are complaining of Zoom fatigue, that exhausted feeling after a day of online meetings or classes. However, a new study has found that Zoom fatigue may not impact everyone in the same way.

Video conferencing fatigue and gender
The researchers found that the gender difference in feelings of exhaustion was rooted in men's and women’s different responses to looking at themselves on the screen.Study by found that overall, one in seven women – 13.8 percent – compared with one in 20 men – 5.5 percent – reported feeling “very” to “extremely” fatigued after Zoom calls (See Figure 3).

Video conferencing fatigue and personality types
Introverts reported higher levels of exhaustion than extroverts following video conferencing, younger individuals had more exhaustion than older individuals, and people of color reported a slightly higher level of fatigue than white participants.Extraverts reported lower levels of exhaustion following video conferencing than introverts. Calm, emotionally stable people also reported less exhaustion than more anxious individuals, who may also have been affected by the self-attention triggered by the digital mirror.

Video conferencing fatigue and age
Younger individuals reported higher levels of tiredness compared with older survey participants.

Video conferencing fatigue and race
The researchers’ preliminary data shows that people of color reported a slightly higher level of Zoom fatigue compared with white participants.

Beating video conferencing fatigue
There are several ways that people can try to limit video call fatigue, as follows:

Limit video calls
Limit video calls to only those that are necessary.It can be tempting to turn everything into a video call to try to mimic working in the office, but often this can cause more harm than good. If a meeting can take place via a phone call or even email, people may find these options less tiring. Video calls may not always be the most efficient option, and people should keep this in mind when scheduling meetings or wanting to share information.

Build in breaks
People need to make sure that they are scheduling in regular short breaks away from the computer, and between video calls when they are working from home. Multiple video calls in a row without any sort of relief between can cause tiredness and make someone feel plain fed up.

Have smaller conference calls
Having fewer people in each call can mean that each person has more time to speak. When there are too many people all trying to speak at once, it can end up with nobody being able to get their points across. This can cause frustration and irritability. It also means that the meeting can feel like a waste of time.

Establish rules
Setting guidelines, such as everyone having to mute their microphones when they are not speaking, can help keep things running smoothly.

Conclusion
Video calls are a useful way of keeping in touch with friends, family, and colleagues without having to physically be in the same location.Too many video calls can lead to someone experiencing video call fatigue, however.It is essential for people to ensure they are not letting video calls have a negative impact on their mental health.

It is important to remember that a video call is not the same as an in-person meeting and for everyone to work together to navigate these new sets of social norms.

Recognizing Video conferencing fatigue and treating it is very important – you are no good if you are burnt out. Please don’t ignore it and let it build up; try the above tips to combat Video conferencing fatigue. And, if all else fails, take a break from Video conferencing entirely! If you’re experiencing it, so are others.

Making the switch to remote work is taxing enough, and the added stress of Video conferencing fatigue will only make your mental health and quality of work suffer. Therefore, the most important thing to remember is to listen to your body and know when enough is enough.

Case studies
Case studies describe real-world examples of concepts in action. Case studies can be real or fictional. A case could be used multiple times during a chapter to illustrate different theories or stages. It is often helpful to present case studies using feature boxes.

Boxes
Boxes can be used to highlight content, but don't overuse them. There are many different ways of creating boxes (e.g., see Pretty boxes). Possible uses include:
 * Focus questions
 * Case studies or examples
 * Quiz questions
 * Take-home messages


 * Feature box example
 * Shaded background
 * Coloured border

Figures


Use figures to illustrate concepts, add interest, and provide examples. Figures can be used to show photographs, drawings, diagrams, graphs, etcetera. Figures can be embedded throughout the chapter, starting with the Overview section. Figures should be captioned (using a number and a description) in order to explain their relevance to the text. Possible images can be found at Wikimedia Commons. Images can also be uploaded if they are licensed for re-use or if you created the image. Each figure should be referred to at least once in the main text (e.g., see Figure 1).

Links
Where key words are first used, make them into interwiki links such as Wikipedia links to articles about famous people (e.g., Sigmund Freud and key concepts (e.g., dreams) and links to book chapters about related topics (e.g., would you like to learn about how to overcome writer's block?).

Tables
Tables can be an effective way to organise and summarise information. Tables should be captioned (using APA style) to explain their relevance to the text. Plus each table should be referred to at least once in the main text (e.g., see Table 1 and Table 2).

Here are some example 3 x 3 tables which could be adapted.

Quizzes
Quizzes are a direct way to engage readers. But don't make quizzes too hard or long. It is better to have one or two review questions per major section than a long quiz at the end. Try to quiz conceptual understanding, rather than trivia.

Here are some simple quiz questions which could be adapted. Choose the correct answers and click "Submit": {Quizzes are an interactive learning feature: + True - False
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{Long quizzes are a good idea: - True + False
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To learn about different types of quiz questions, see Quiz.