p>CONVERSATION Article Content
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p>The article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and non-profit source for news, analysis and other information from academic experts. https://bandochoi.com/members/jeanslinen65/activity/2213155/ Disclosure information is available on the original site.
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p>Are you all Zoomed out? How do you deal with Zoom fatigue during the holidays Back to video
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p>Author: Jaigris Hodson, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Royal Roads University
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p>Article content Now it's officially. All across North America and most of Western Europe, the Christmas holidays will be quite different this year. Since the second wave of the pandemic hit and we've been instructed to use virtual tools to connect with our family and friends to share some festive cheer. In fact, we might all find ourselves declining to attend celebrations to try to stop the spread of COVID-19 prior to the introduction of the vaccine.
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p>Article content Unfortunately, however we've been doing everything digitally on our couches for months and a lot of us are getting bored of the whole process and for good reason.
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p>Do we just forget about holidays? Or do we seek out new ways to make the holidays memorable? My research on digital literacy reveals ways that we can connect this season of giving even when we are physically separated.
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p>Video is the answer to everything
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p>Zoom fever swept the country during the initial months of the pandemic. People were glued to work at happy hour games, board game nights, and other events as well. Then many people felt like they hit a wall. Zoom fatigue is real. And recent research suggests that all the efforts to connect via video chat platforms (Zoom, Skype, Teams and others) could be dragging us down.
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p>Article content While you think about ways to bring joy to the holidays and you want to know how to accomplish this without using video chat, you have to 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 enjoy the holiday season on various platforms, as I'll describe below.
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p>Different platforms for different social groups
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p>My research shows that young people tend to separate their use of social media platforms according to their relationships with those platforms. For example, teenagers use Facebook to keep in touch with their families and teachers, but they also use Snapchat with their friends. They interact with their friends in large-scale multiplayer games.
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p>This type of interaction using digital technology is beneficial for all. Zoom is an excellent tool for working. However, Zoom users may also be interested in exploring other methods to stay connected with their loved ones and family. You can make use of apps like Rave, Airtime, or Teleparty to share videos in synchronization with your friends. Or you could visit friends and family virtually in a game like Animal Crossing, World of Warcraft or Minecraft.
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p>Article content Get digitally creative
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p>There are numerous other ways you can connect with loved ones to spread some holiday cheer. There are many ways to bring joy to the holidays These are just a few of my favorites.
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p>Create and share a musical playlist: Research on sharing music online has revealed that sharing music is connected to friendship. You could create a holiday music playlist and share it with friends on streaming platforms like Spotify. This could bring you closer while you play online games, order food or send holiday memes to your WhatsApp? group.
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p>Text messages can be sent A study conducted in 2016 by the University of Minnesota showed that text messages are perceived as more warm and personal than email. You can keep contact with your loved ones during the holiday season by sending them frequent text messages. Sending gifs and emojis in your text messages will improve the emotional bond you have with your loved ones.
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p>Article content Host a virtual New Year's ceilidh on YouTube: A Christmas ceilidh is an important Scottish holiday tradition where family and friends get together and share songs, stories and dancing. YouTube lets you create a virtual party for those you cherish. Each participant can upload a video in which they sing, play a musical instrument, or tell a story. You can then curate the videos into playlists that your group can enjoy while eating their Christmas cookies. After all, research shows that YouTube is place where communities are formed, as well as an area where videos are shared.
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p>Turn on, tune in, and then go out.
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p>The holidays can be stressful. You may feel you are tempted to accept every invitation. But, you have to take some time to unplug from your electronic devices. For those who suffer from Zoom fatigue, some universities recommend that doctoral students incorporate digital detox time in their schedules.
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p>Article content Sometimes, you will really want to use Videoconferencing platforms to recreate a holiday dinner or cocktail celebration. To prevent fatigue, make sure to balance your video chat with other methods of connecting discussed above.
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p>When you get away from your computer, don't forget old-fashioned ways to stay in touch. You can send cards, call or mail your loved ones. Sometimes, these are the most memorable because they occur so often in our uber-connected world.
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p>Jaigris Hodson's work is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Canada Research Chairs Program.
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p>https://theconversation.com/all-zoomed-out-how-to-deal-with-zoom-fat https://theconversation.com/all-zoo
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