The worldwide pandemic has clearly changed the ways we communicate on a daily basis, and video calls have been a part of this. However, as video conferencing platforms continue to boom, more and more users have been reporting feeling worn-out and tired. There’s now even a slang term “Zoom fatigue” which refers to this newly occurring phenomenon.

Andrew Franklin, an assistant professor of cyberpsychology at Virginia’s Norfolk State University, told National Geographic that “There's a lot of research that shows we actually really struggle with this.” He thinks people may be surprised at how difficult they’re finding video calls given that the medium seems neatly confined to a small screen and presents few obvious distractions.

It turns out that, even though in theory, video calls are designed to be smooth and efficient, in reality, they do demand increased effort and concentration from their users. For example, the participant has to pay much more attention to the words uttered, which makes it hard for people who’re dependent on non-verbal communication cues.

The second challenge of video calls has to do with the fact that it requires simultaneous focus on multiple screens. Franklin said that “we’re engaged in numerous activities, but never fully devoting ourselves to focus on anything in particular.”

Parallel conversations are also impossible in this virtual setting. Simultaneously, we often find multiple people talking over the teacher at the same time, which can feel overwhelming to the listeners. As a result, for many of us, the mental load of attending packed conferences may be harder than we’d think.