Turning on cameras during video conferencing might help you engage with other virtual participants, but it might leave you more tired too.
A research conducted by Allison Gabriel, University Distinguished Scholar in the University of Arizona Eller College of Management, suggests that the camera contributes to “Zoom fatigue", a feeling of tiredness after virtual meetings. The website of University Of Arizona provides details about the study.
“There’s always this assumption that if you have your camera on during meetings, you are going to be more engaged," Gabriel said. “But there’s also a lot of self-presentation pressure associated with being on camera. Having a professional background and looking ready, or keeping children out of the room are among some of the pressures."
Gabriel conducted a four-week experiment in partnership with BroadPath, a Tucson-based health care services company. The study involved 103 participants – all employees of BroadPath – and more than 1,400 observations. Gabriel and her colleagues found that it is indeed more tiring to have your camera on during a virtual meeting.
“When people had cameras on or were told to keep cameras on, they reported more fatigue than their non-camera using counterparts," Gabriel said. “And that fatigue correlated to less voice and less engagement during meetings. So, in reality, those who had cameras on were potentially participating less than those not using cameras. This counters the conventional wisdom that cameras are required to be engaged in virtual meetings."
Gabriel also found that these effects were stronger for women and for employees newer to the organization, likely due to added self-presentation pressures.
“Employees who tend to be more vulnerable in terms of their social position in the workplace, such as women and newer, less tenured employees, have a heightened feeling of fatigue when they must keep cameras on during meetings," Gabriel said. “Women often feel the pressure to be effortlessly perfect or have a greater likelihood of child care interruptions, and newer employees feel like they must be on camera and participate in order to show productiveness."
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