How has Zoom affected people’s confidence?

It has been interesting to see how people have adjusted to working from home in 2020 and there are certainly many perks that people are enjoying. Despite this, one potentially troubling aspect which has become apparent is the impact that videoconferencing on platforms like Zoom is having on people’s confidence and self-esteem.

The Rise of Zoom

Many people are spending a lot of their time on Zoom during the pandemic (both during working hours and in their free time) and it can be a highly effective way to communicate in the current situation. While it certainly can be beneficial, many people are finding that it is actually damaging their self-confidence and body image.

Zoom Face

Unlike normal communication, when speaking on Zoom people are constantly exposed to their own face which can be difficult to ignore. Spending so much time looking at yourself will always be dangerous, but particularly when this is often from an unflattering angle, in poor light and perhaps during times when people are not feeling their best and most confident. People tend to pose for photographs or know when they are being filmed, so people are now seeing themselves in a whole new light and being hyper-critical of what they see - this is now what has become known as “Zoom Face”.

Solving Zoom Face

So, what can people do to save their self-confidence in times like this? The first point to make is that Zoom Face is not a true reflection of how you look and you will always be much more critical of your own appearance - you can be sure that everyone else in your meeting is judging their own appearance at the same time. Where possible, it is also a good idea to limit your Zoom meetings, but of course this is not something that you can always control. Therefore, you might find it helpful to pick somewhere with plenty of natural light, to find a more flattering angle and perhaps to spend some time improving your appearance.

If you are really suffering with your self-confidence and it is interfering with your life, you could take more serious action with cosmetic surgery - interest in this has risen sharply since the pandemic so you are not alone and it can be a fantastic way to lift your self-esteem.

The negative impact that Zoom is having on people’s self-confidence was hard to predict but it is now easy to see why people are suffering, but that is not to say that there aren’t steps that you can take to overcome Zoom Face.