Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Zoom classes are something that the majority of the country is now familiar with. The traditional classroom and social settings have turned into an environment of distant learning and social interactions. This has caused many disadvantages not only to students, but to the teachers and faculty at every single institution. The main disadvantage that I will be talking about today are the social side effects of Zoom classes and how that is affecting college social development and mental health.
Some of you may be asking what Zoom is. Zoom is a video communications company that, “provides videotelephony and online chat services through a cloud-based peer-to-peer software platform and is used for teleconferencing, telecommuting, distance education, and social relations.” (Wikipedia). One of the main factors that chose me to pick this topic is due to some change that I am noticing in my personal life since using Zoom. Since becoming a first year at Washington and Lee University I have noticed a large number of things changing in my daily life. I was more alone than ever in a new environment, and this setting of inclusiveness that is so widely shared at Washington and Lee was absent. I felt as though I was having to seek out any sort of human interaction just to feel something from someone else. The constant monotonous routine of getting up five minutes before “class” and sitting in my room for the next three hours of “class” made it unbearable to enjoy the content that was being presented to me. One of the biggest reasons I chose to come to Washington and Lee University is so that I can make close connections with almost every person I meet, but due to Zoom classes and other virtual meet and greets those true connections could not be made.
Classic Zoom setup seen below
PHOTO BY GABRIEL BENOIS ON UNSPLASH
When we are all on Zoom calls we may be asking ourselves why we tend to be more tired from Zoom class when compared to regular in person lectures. The reason for this is because our brain has to work harder when looking at a screen. Andrew Franklin, an assistant professor of cyber psychology (cool) at Virginia’s Norfolk State University says that humans actually really struggle with virtual interactions, and that too much virtual interaction is harmful. When humans are interacting with one another they pay attention to the words being said, but they also pay attention to body language and other nonverbal cues expressed through gestures. This helps paint a “holistic picture of what is being conveyed and what’s expected in response from the listener” (Skylar 2020). Zoom classes impair these ingrained abilities that we possess making it harder to communicate with others. Having Zoom classes in gallery view makes it so the brain cannot create a center point in which to focus making everything that is said come out as meaningless due to the words coming from multiple faces. This causes group calls to be less collaborative and more of a group listening to one person try to explain everything. This causes students to not want to engage with new students due to the fear of being seen as a know it all or controller of the call. One idea that Franklin had is to turn videos off. This would cause the student to focus on one aspect, the voice.
Another aspect of development that is being compromised by Zoom classes is the ability to be motivated. Patricia Perez, an associate professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology says, “Young people like to make plans for the future, and it’s difficult to do that when they don’t know how long this new way of life will last.” (Stringer 2020). When incoming first years don’t know how long their college experience will continue to be a virtual one, people tend to lose interest in the things that used to draw their attention. The driving force that is causing students to lose motivation is learning in isolation. Zoom classes tend to make us work on our own due to group work rarely happening due to virtual learning. We are spending all of our time working on our own and not being able to share ideas with others like we usually would be able to do in lectures in person. Students are “losing confidence during distance learning because it can be more difficult for teachers to provide individualized feedback.” (Stringer 2020). When we are lacking confidence in school we tend to lose the interest and drive to do our best. This also causes us to feel like we need to spend more time working and less time seeing and meeting other people. We are forgetting how to interact with others in person and this is hindering our ability to really connect with our fellow students.
Timeline
Here is a timeline about the history of technology in classrooms. I thought it would be interesting to see how technology in the classroom has changed and how different things are now that Zoom classes are popular and taking over the country. We can also see in the timeline how these different classroom technologies changed the students mentally.
This timeline shows how technology slowly became digitalized and implemented into the classroom. These digital technologies make it so that we are more connected with people and media outside the classroom, where we should be connected with what is in front of us. Zoom breaks down the sense of a classroom entirely and that I one of the main reasons I believe it is terrible for schools to teach through Zoom.
Student Interview
For the other part of my project I included a audio file of an interview I conducted with my friend who goes to a different University on the East Coast. I will not be disclosing his University due to privacy reasons. I also made sure to include the questions below the audio file that talk about how Zoom classes have affected his overall experience.
Here are the questions that were asked during the interview:
How would you say Zoom classes have effected the social aspects of college?
Does the virtual aspect of school effect your mental health? Like not being able to see people or travel during holidays?
What would you like to change to better your overall experience?
Do you think that your school is making an effort to address the student body’s needs?
My friend’s experience has changed due to Zoom classes and other virtual aspects his school has implemented. He knows why his school is doing things virtually, but he feel as though in person communication is necessary. Susan D. Blum who is a professor at the University of Norte Dame talks about the mental health issues that arise due to zoom calls. “Even our brain waves synchronize in a conversation.” “The emotional/aesthetic experience of a perfectly tuned conversation is as ecstatic as an artistic experience.” (Blum 2020). Without this true artistic experience of in person conversation we will tend to lose our “vision of sanity” (Blum 2020). I have noticed myself that I crave human interaction. Something that I did not know the true importance of was stripped from my life and Zoom classes are making that craving more intense as time continues.
Conclusion
From my audio file and research I conclude that Zoom classes are something that are hindering us from truly being human. This form of technology along with other forms or technology we went over in class are separating us from others the more we use them. We are forced to communicate yet again through a stupid peace of technology. I think that we should conduct classes outside or in big common areas while following guidelines. If we continue on this path our digital schooling then we will continue to lose interest in the entire learning process. We will become emotionless, bland, colorless shells of the humans we once were. So throw on a mask and tell those around you that you love them, because that little bit of affirmation and connection really is everything.
Sources
Blum, Susan. 2020, April 22. Why Were Exhausted By Zoom. Inside Higher ED.
2020. The Evolution of Technology In the Classroom. Purdue Online
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoom_Video_Communications
