Significance of Physical and Virtual Places – The Case of Teams Meetings

Abstract

During the last years telemeetings have become an important communication channel. Participants can select the physical place in which they participate to meetings, and also the background image of their camera video, which is virtual place of the participant. This paper focuses on what effect the alternative places has on the concentration to the discussion topic. The research method of this paper is autoethnography in academic context. Test uses consist on Microsoft Teams meeting in two alternative physical places, i.e., an office and leisure place, and in two alternative virtual places, i.e., the background images of the office and leisure places. The topics of discussion were work, i.e., writing a paper, and leisure, i.e., planning a trip. The test users evaluated and described their feelings after the telemeetings. The result presents that both physical and virtual place matters. When the physical and virtual places are in line to the topic is discussion, it supports the concentration to the topic. Furthermore, when the physical and virtual places are in contradiction to the topic, it complicates the concentration to the topic.