All Zoomed Out
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Are you all Zoomed out? How do you deal with Zoom fatigue over the holiday season . Back to video
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Author: Jaigris Hodson, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Royal Roads University
Article content It's official. In North America and most of Western Europe, the Christmas holidays will be completely different this year. Since the second wave of the pandemic hit the world, we've been advised to use online tools to connect with our loved ones for some festive joy. We may all be reluctant to go to holiday gatherings in person to stop the spread of COVID-19 until the vaccine becomes available.
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So do we write off the holidays altogether? Or do we look for new ways to make them memorable? My research on digital literacy shows ways to connect this holiday season, even if we live in different places.
Video is for everything
The first few months of the pandemic full of Zoom fever. People were zooming work at happy hour, board game nights and other events too. Many felt that they had hit a brick wall. Zoom fatigue is real. And recent research suggests that all the efforts to connect with video chat platforms (Zoom, Skype, Teams and similar) might actually be wearing us down.
Article content As you think about how to spread holiday cheer and you want to know how you can do it without the use of video chat, you must find ways to avoid doing it all using video chat. Instead, you should learn from the ways that digital natives utilize digital tools for communication, and celebrate the season using a variety of platforms, as I'll outline below.
Different platforms for different social groups
My research shows that teens tend to segment their use of social media platforms by their relationships on those platforms. For instance, teens use Facebook to stay in touch with their families and teachers, but they also use Snapchat with their friends. They socialize in massive multiplayer games.
This kind of engagement with digital technology makes sense for everyone. If you are using Zoom for work, you might want to experiment with other methods to stay connected with your family and friends. for example, you could use apps such as Rave, Airtime or Teleparty to stream movies in synchronization with your friends. djw360 You could also visit your family and friends online in games like Animal Crossing, World of Warcraft, or Minecraft.
Article content Be digitally creative
There are numerous ways to connect with your loved ones and spread holiday cheer. Dj W360 There are many ways to bring holiday cheer But these are a few of my personal favorites.
Create and share a music playlist. Research has revealed that sharing music is related to friendship. You could curate your own holiday music playlist using streaming platforms like Spotify and share it with others this festive season. This could bring you closer together while you play online games, order food, or send holiday memes to your WhatsApp group.
Text messages: A 2016 University of Minnesota study found that text messages are perceived as more intimate and warm than email. You can stay in touch with your beloved ones during the holidays by sending them frequent text messages. Sending gifs or emojis as your text messages can enhance your emotional connection to your loved ones.
Article content Host an online New Year's Eve party on YouTube. A Christmas-themed ceilidh in Scotland is a holiday tradition that sees family and friends get together to tell stories, dance, and sing songs. You can create an online ceilidh with the people you love using a website like YouTube. Every participant can upload a video of them singing an anthem or telling a story reciting a poem or playing an instrument. djw360 Then, you can curate the videos into playlists that the group can enjoy while they eat their Christmas cookies. YouTube is a place where communities form and videos are shared.
Turn on your radio, tune in, then go out.
The holidays can be stressful and you'll be attracted by every virtual invitation, but you also must spend time unplugging from electronic devices. Some universities suggest that their doctoral students build their own digital detox times to help combat Zoom fatigue.
Article content Sometimes, you will definitely want to utilize Videoconferencing platforms to recreate a holiday dinner or cocktail party. To avoid this exhaustion, be sure to keep in mind other methods of connecting mentioned above.
When you get away from your computer, remember old-fashioned ways to keep in touch. Send cards, answer the phone, or mail gifts to loved ones. These are moments that are often the most meaningful since they are so rare in our hyper-connected world.
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Jaigris Hodson has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Canada Research Chairs Program.
https://theconversation.com/all-zoomed-out-how-to-deal-with-zoom-fat https://theconversation.com/all-zoo
