TY - JOUR
T1 - On the stress potential of videoconferencing: definition and root causes of Zoom fatigue
AU - Riedl, René
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Austrian Science Fund as part of the project ‘Technostress in Organizations’ (Grant No. P 30865) at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. The author would like to thank the responsible editor, Thomas Hess, and three anonymous reviewers for their excellent work in providing guidance on ways to improve the paper in two revision rounds.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Home office
KW - Media naturalness theory
KW - NeuroIS
KW - Technostress
KW - Videoconference fatigue
KW - Videoconference stress
KW - Zoom fatigue
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120694860&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12525-021-00501-3
DO - 10.1007/s12525-021-00501-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 35600914
VL - 32
SP - 153
EP - 177
JO - Electronic Markets
JF - Electronic Markets
SN - 1019-6781
IS - 1
ER -