Videoconferencing fatigue is real, study finds
- Reference: 1701073812
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/11/27/videoconferencing_fatigue_is_real_study/
- Source link:
"Self-report evidence, collected all around the world, indicates that VCF is a serious issue," [1]wrote the authors of a study appearing in Scientific Reports , a journal published by Nature Reports.
However, most available research on VCF relies on personal accounts of the problem, and focuses on the cause rather than the consequences, explained the researchers.
[2]
To determine the effects on the brain caused by hours of videoconferences, the team measured electrical activity in the noggins of 35 university students who watched a 50-minute lecture while wired into an electroencephalogram (EEG). The researchers asked another group to watch same content live.
[3]
[4]
The researchers also calculated effects on heart rate for the two groups with electrocardiography (ECG), measured before and after videoconferencing sessions. Subjects were also given cognitive attention tasks and asked for self reports on moods.
Surprise, surprise: those attending the live lecture reported they felt more lively, happy and active, and less tired, drowsy and fed-up than online counterparts. The EEG results reflected the self-reporting by showing brain activity that indicates harder work and can therefore cause fatigue. The heart data also indicated higher fatigue among those watching the lecture online, hinting that the video version also impacted nervous systems.
[5]Sure, Dave might seem like he's avidly listening to this morning's meeting, but he's actually doing a yoga routine
[6]Robocar tech biz sues Nvidia, claims stolen code shared in Teams meeting blunder
[7]Amazon to staff: Come into the office – it'd be a shame if something happened to your promotion
[8]Wipro: Get back to the office for three days a week or else
"A major implication of our study is that videoconferencing should be considered as a possible complement to face-to-face interaction, but not as a substitute," concluded the authors.
The quartet readily admitted that the study has its limitations. For one, the lectures did not take place in an office setting, but an academic one, with the mean age hovering just below 24.
[9]
The study also didn't compare stress from VCF to that created by meatspace concerns – like having to navigate busy roads en route to a meeting. According to the World Health Organization, 1.3 million people [10]die each year as a result of road crashes.
But such factors were outside of the scope of the study, which was conducted under the umbrella of an Austrian research program called Techno Stress that [11]focuses on the detrimental effects of increased ICT interaction.
Techno Stress has already produced 20 papers. They include studies such as comparing social interactions in the metaverse to those in video conferencing, the effects of digital detoxing to manage stress, electronic surveillance in the workplace, and more. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-45374-y
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZWR21DDc3Md-pUM79XeDOgAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZWR21DDc3Md-pUM79XeDOgAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZWR21DDc3Md-pUM79XeDOgAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/23/otter_zoom_fatigue/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/22/nvidia_sued_after_teams_meeting/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/15/amazon_in_person_mandate/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/08/wipro_office_return/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZWR21DDc3Md-pUM79XeDOgAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
[11] https://pure.fh-ooe.at/en/projects/technostress-in-organizations
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Duh.
You don't understand. If you are in the office, the office is being used which means it is worth more than unused office.
The sole reason of this WFH bashing is the investors losing sleep over the future of their commercial property portfolio.
If the workers were given a share of the capital gains they create by coming to office, then maybe it would have been a different matter.
Meetings!!!
Not videoconferences, MEETINGS! Meeting Fatigue is the issue. Endless f***ing meetings where nothing gets decided except maybe when to hold the next meeting. Meetings which only seem to be held so certain people can tell everyone what they do for a living, and expect a pat on the back for it. Meetings held so that certain people can have a nice full calendar to point to whilst claiming how busy they are. The medium for the meeting is utterly irrelevant, video-conf, phone-conf, in-vivo-conf, they are all the same. I have no problems with meetings that actually achieve something or are educational/informative, but really not interested in meetings where satisfying someone's ego or filling someone's Calendar is the only thing that is achieved.
"hours of videoconferences"
"hours of videoconferences" ... "hours" is the important part, not "videoconference"
Humans are weird that way, we get tired even when doing nothing productive simply by being awake ... I guess that's news for that research team.
What about commuting?
I used to take the train into London, and most of the people on there looked like knackered out zombies.
Now I have one stand-up and perhaps one other meeting. Sometimes a huddle with colleagues to run through a problem. Fatigue levels are FAR lower.
"the video version also impacted nervous systems"
I wonder how that translates to YouTube ?
Not all videos have the same impact on the nervous system, I guess . . .
Somewhat artificial configuration
I wonder if it would be different if one was using videoconferencing in the practical workplace way where you're technically in the meeting, but you're really listening for it to become relevant to you while you get some regular work done.
They work well for some
I am involved with an international committee that used to meet face-to-face every couple of months, but that all changed during the pandemic.
We now meet for a couple of hours every week, and hold "full day" sessions as needed - where a full day consists of a number of 90 minute sessions with 30-45 minute breaks between them.
These are targeted meetings where progress is made, and we have found this to be a lot more efficient and productive than face-to-face:
1) It is a lot easier for international membership as travel is not required (time / cost) - though too wide a range of timezones can be a bit of a challenge.
2) Turnout is higher as it is easier to find the time to join individual sessions than to find the time to travel.
3) Keeping the session lengths reasonable stops people getting fatigued, and means they can attend to other matters during the day.
We do still hold face-to-face meetings every now and then, as it is nice to be able to meet up in the bar for some less formal conversation ;-)
Landlords
Was study sponsored by landlords?
That said, it fails to account for confounding variables - for instance those who went on the live conference, prefer to go to live conferences, because when at home they don't have to be in presence of abusive partner etc.
So there poor studies are published because they fit the narrative and journalists no longer question whether they are rubbish or not.
Duh.
Yes, but had they forgotten this is what it was like back in the office with hours of face to face pointless meetings? The Zoom/Team meeting are not great, but it's mostly the contents (or lack of) of the meetings which must be the major factor here...
Except back then after a day of face to face meetings we were then expected to be able to drive home safely in a semi comatosed state.
As i said, remote meetings may not be that great, but we will probably live longer.