Part of the so-called ‘new normal’ includes a heavy reliance on virtual platforms to remain connected with people around us. However, what happens when this consistent online presence starts to feel overwhelming? Is there a word for it?
Many people have struggled to keep up with the demands of socialising, working and studying mostly in the virtual space. Satirists have labelled humans in 2020 as modern-age Zo[o]mbies, derived from the popular video conferencing platform, Zoom. CARTOON: Madam and Eve/Stephen Francis and Rico
“Can you hear me? You’re frozen.”
“You’re on mute, unmute your mic.”
“Oh no, there’s a lag, check your connection.”
These are but some of the phrases that have become synonymous with 2020. Working remotely and maintaining social distancing, due to the imposition of lockdowns, have resulted in many interactions and engagements taking place online, rather than in person. The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged traditional screen-time boundaries for many who have had to rely on virtual platforms for work, school and social engagements.
For many people, the erosion of boundaries between online work or school and one’s virtual social life may result in burnout from spending too much time online, according to Elmarie Kruger, a psychologist at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD). Virtual fatigue is a term that has recently gained prominence to describe this type of burnout.
“[Virtual fatigue] is not a term you’ll find in a psychiatric handbook, but [it is] a helpful term to convey an idea that many can relate to,” says Chris Kemp, a psychologist with the South African Anxiety and Depression Group (SADAG). Fatigue is a concept that is often used in psychology to explain something which has become overwhelming due to overexposure, Kemp explains.
“You’re frozen”: the impact of delays
In an article published on Science Direct in 2014, researchers dr Katrin Schoenenberg, prof Alexander Raake and Judith Koeppe address how transmission delay affects the quality of a telephonic conversation. They found that delays negatively affected the conversation, often making it “less efficient and thus less comfortable”.
An almost complete reliance on virtual platforms has forced many people to spend more time than usual staring at their laptop, desktop or phone screens. PHOTO: Unsplash/Gabriel Benois
Virtual platforms allow for video conferencing, but technological difficulties and challenges with connection often result in delays or lags. Therefore, seeing someone’s face while it is frozen does not remove the frustration and lack of efficiency resulting from the transmission delay ‒ it exacerbates it. Constantly experiencing such frustrations also contributes to virtual fatigue, says Kruger.
“The technical aspect of [virtual platforms] can be very stressful if things go wrong, and even if things mostly go right, they can sometimes go wrong when you least expect it,” Kruger says.
Teaching online
Another possible explanation for virtual fatigue is the differing natures of online and face-to-face communication.
“In face-to-face conditions, we also pick up on non-verbal cues when we communicate. In the online domain, we have to work much harder on our listening skills as the non-verbal cues are mostly non-existent,” says Charl Davids, CSCD deputy director.
For Gail Murray, adapting to online teaching through Microsoft Teams was a smooth process that allowed her to be innovative with the delivery of her classes. However, the history teacher and deputy principal at Johannesburg-based St Andrew’s School for Girls says she was exhausted by the added emotional labour of trying to decipher non-verbal cues during virtual engagements.
“As a teacher who gets her energy from student interactions, I really struggled with not being able to access all of my students at the same time. There was no organic conversation, no rich delving into the material, no jokes [and] no laughing. I spent so much emotional energy on trying to figure out how everyone was feeling – without success – that I left meetings and lessons exhausted and unfulfilled,” says Murray.
The screen’s interference with [human] connection
People who are energised by the energies of those around them, tend to experience the disconnect of excessive video-conferencing and lack of social contact as more harmful than beneficial, says Kemp.
“Video-conferencing is boring; I cannot abide boredom. [My] exhaustion comes from the lack of true stimulation [through] activity and conversation. There’s no intimacy with a virtual interlocutor ‒ no shared smirks, no playing footsie under the table. No leisure, no pleasure. Just the paranoia of surveillance,” says Mishka Wazar, a history master’s student at the University of the Western Cape.
Thus, virtual fatigue may also be attributed to the over-reliance on virtual platforms, and lack of variation in how people are interacting while maintaining social distancing and working remotely, says Kruger.
“The lack of authentic human interaction led to feeling depressed and out of touch with kids who did not reach out and tell me what was going on with them. You can’t read faces, body language or emotional well-being – all that can be fabricated and false,” says Murray.
In an article published in the Harvard Business Review on 14 August, Peter Bacevice, John Mack, Pantea Tehrani and Mat Triebner argue that the pandemic has normalised virtual meetings in the workplace. Essentially, they say that virtual meetings will exist for the foreseeable future.
However, they concede that the lack of human interaction is a big disadvantage of remote working. Their proposed solution for this is a hybrid working environment where virtual platforms and face-to-face interactions coexist.
Zoomer vs Zoombies
It is not all Zoom and doom, as there are people who have been thriving during this period of prevalent virtual communication.
For some people, not having people in the same room and still being able to ‘see’ or virtually connect with people as you wish, may assist with social anxiety, according to Kemp. Additionally, people may feel more comfortable working and socialising in a familiar environment than a work or public environment, he says.
Paul Joubert, a humanities student at Stellenbosch University, says he did not experience virtual fatigue from having to adapt to interacting online because many of his social interactions were already taking place online.
“On the academic side, I really enjoy the freedom [because] I do better when consuming academic ideas in my own ways. With online lectures, I can [fast] forward through them and get the same [result] as I would when I would go to class and be distracted by a bunch of things,” he says.
According to Kruger, people are generally very different in what they experience as energy consuming or energizing in itself. While many people may experience virtual fatigue, people who are used to, or prefer, communicating virtually, will not be easily fatigued by the reliance on virtual platforms.
Can we combat virtual fatigue?
“Working in the virtual space all the time may significantly impact our level of movement because you are sitting in front of your computer all day and not moving around in an office space or on campus,” says Kruger.
This limited movement, additional to the visual and sensory overload one experiences from constant reliance on the virtual space, contributes to virtual fatigue, says dr Annemarie Lombard, Sensory Intelligence CEO and founder, during a podcast episode on How to rock virtual engagements with Alistair Davis.
Alistair Davis has started a podcast where he, together with his guests, give tips on how to navigate virtual engagements. On 17 June, he spoke to dr Annemarie Lombard from Sensory Intelligence. Podcast: Anchor/How to Rock Virtual Engagements
“Take movement breaks as much as you can. Your water bottle is your best friend. Fill your bottle and put it right next to your desk. Drinking water hydrates your brain, which is good. When you recharge your brain and you’re bringing your attention back to base,” Lombard says.
To combat virtual fatigue Kemp suggests putting your phone on airplane mode, closing the laptop and giving yourself time to reset.
“More importantly, don’t be afraid to say no to a call if you need a break, particularly if you are feeling like you just need some time to yourself,” says Kemp.
Apart from setting boundaries, there are other practical things you can do to combat virtual fatigue. INFOGRAPHIC: Masego Mafata