Abstract
As a consequence of lockdowns due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the resulting restricted social mobility, several billion people worldwide have recently had to replace physical face-to-face communication with computer-mediated interaction. Notably, the adoption rates of videoconferencing increased significantly in 2020, predominantly because videoconferencing resembles face-to-face interaction. Tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Cisco Webex are used by hundreds of millions of people today. Videoconferencing may bring benefits (e.g., saving of travel costs, preservation of environment). However, prolonged and inappropriate use of videoconferencing may also have an enormous stress potential. A new phenomenon and term emerged, Zoom fatigue, a synonym for videoconference fatigue. This paper develops a definition for Zoom fatigue and presents a conceptual framework that explores the major root causes of videoconferencing fatigue and stress. The development of the framework draws upon media naturalness theory and its underlying theorizing is based on research published across various scientific fields, including the disciplines of both behavioral science and neuroscience. Based on this theoretical foundation, hypotheses are outlined. Moreover, implications for research and practice are discussed.
Highlights
Julia, a 32-year old social media consultant in a marketing agency, has to communicate much in personal meetings and via telephone, both with colleagues and clients
As a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis and restricted social mobility, she has been working most of the time from home since March 2020
On more and more days, most of which are dominated by videoconferences, she feels exhausted, fatigued, and stressed—“it’s like a drain of cognitive resources,” she says, when providing an introspective account of her current sentiment. Many people share her experiences and, have begun to consider videoconferencing as a new source of stress. As illustrated by this vignette, videoconferencing has been quickly adopted by many people and organizations as a response to the restricted social mobility that resulted from COVID-19-induced lockdowns
Summary
A 32-year old social media consultant in a marketing agency, has to communicate much in personal meetings and via telephone, both with colleagues and clients. Considering that it is a well-established fact in the literature that various forms of technostress may have severe effects on physiological arousal, health, mental well-being, emotional exhaustion, depression, burnout, performance, productivity, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment (e.g., Benlian, 2020; Riedl, 2013; Tarafdar et al, 2019), conceptualizing Zoom fatigue and examining its root causes is critical. This does stimulate further theoretical and empirical research. This better understanding is even more important when considering that increasingly more evidence indicates that home office and the resulting high adoption rates of videoconferencing will play a major role in the postCOVID era (Despujol et al, 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
