To Zoom or not to Zoom? That’s the question for post-pandemic life
Today’s topic for “Deepish thoughts” Tuesday is whether or not shows that have gone fully or partly virtual (often via Skype or Zoom) should go back to an in-person format or stay on Skype/Zoom.
Most of my media consumption is from independent media sources. For months, especially for the shows that have co-hosts or guests, shows went from in-person to virtual. For TYT, for example, hosts and guests connected via Skype and produced from a third (or fourth) location. This sounds like a production nightmare, but the majority of time, it worked well.
I kind of like the Skype format, for several reasons
Wider variety of guests. Skype or phone interviews never seemed quite right to me before the pandemic. Now that it’s become, or became, the norm for months, it actually seems like a great way to land interviews or cohosts that would have been hard or impossible to get otherwise (several with Noam Chomsky, for example).
Feels more “raw” than in-person. Sort of the garage band feel knowing that the hosts and guests are often connecting from their own home, seeing their bookcases or kids running/yelling in the background, etc.
On the other hand…
“I think you’re on mute.” I wonder how much time has been lost in the world — media, work, family… — by people not realizing they’re on mute and people telling them to unmute themselves. It probably still doesn’t cancel out all the time saved in travel time though!
Conversations are more “hiccuppy.” There’s a time delay, even if it’s slight in some cases, which makes turn-taking difficult. It’s too easy to have one monologue followed by another, as opposite to a back-and-forth.
What say ye? Here’s the Twitter poll (coming very shortly after I publish this). Before you go, don’t forget to vote in July’s poll to help decide which progressive-friendly show, organization, or cause will get a $50 donation.
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