May 21, 2020 What problems are solved by face-to-face communication? Or, put differently, why are Zoom calls so comparatively unsatisfying? We've each been given all too much time to reflect on this question in recent weeks. Obvious shortcomings like lag or low resolution aside, it seems clear that even a perfect Zoom call is far less nourishing than a conversation in the flesh. Face-to-face interaction has evolved over millennia of biological and cultural evolution, accruing complex and densely interconnected meanings that are difficult to explicitly express. It is at once a mundane practical tool and sacred form of communion. Its technological replacement, though vitally useful in these times, can only be a pale shadow.
Technology & Wholeness
Technology & Wholeness
Technology & Wholeness
May 21, 2020 What problems are solved by face-to-face communication? Or, put differently, why are Zoom calls so comparatively unsatisfying? We've each been given all too much time to reflect on this question in recent weeks. Obvious shortcomings like lag or low resolution aside, it seems clear that even a perfect Zoom call is far less nourishing than a conversation in the flesh. Face-to-face interaction has evolved over millennia of biological and cultural evolution, accruing complex and densely interconnected meanings that are difficult to explicitly express. It is at once a mundane practical tool and sacred form of communion. Its technological replacement, though vitally useful in these times, can only be a pale shadow.