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Many of us spent the early months (or longer) of COVID-19 lockdowns engaging in seemingly endless teleconference meetings. It was during this period that “Zoom” — and pretty soon, “Zoom fatigue” — became common terms in our national lexicon.
You might look back on this period as one of isolation and dread, but some folks are instead sad that it’s gone.
What are they missing?
If you are one of those folks who admit that you kind of miss logging into a Zoom meeting for business or pleasure, you might agree with Julie Gauthier’s comments on the matter.
Last year, she sounded off on Twitter with what she called an “unpopular opinion,” though the scores of comments that followed made it clear that she’s not alone.
“I don’t have [Zoom] fatigue,” she wrote, citing the virtual “happy hours and game nights” that she was able to take part in even as traditional venues like bars and clubs had been closed due to COVID-19.
In fact, she concluded: “I feel more isolated now than I did when friends all took time to chat online at the beginning of the pandemic.”
The end of an era
To be sure, there are still plenty of companies that use teleconferencing tools extensively, and you might even have an opportunity to take part in a virtual party here and there. But the Zoom boom has clearly gone bust.
It cut a huge portion of its staff and other firms that also catered to pandemic shut-ins faced the same or worse fates. Houseparty and Meta’s Portal platform are among the most notable casualties.
Multiple studies show that it’s harder than ever for adults to make friends in our increasingly digital society. It appears that COVID-19 gave us the opportunity to figure it out — but it just didn’t last.
