Zoom is a videoconferencing platform founded by Eric Yuan in 2011. Today, engagement with the platform has increased almost 1000% since the global outbreak of coronavirus. The popularity of Zoom is a reminder that we are not exactly social distancing but physical distancing. We can think of social distancing as more physical and metaphorical than literal in sense, because today we are more connected by digital technologies than ever before. It has been fascinating to witness our classroom and social norms being reimagined and optimized for the digital medium with breakout rooms, handraising, upvoting, downvoting, polling, and the like. With all that said, we can see how Zoom takes advantage of the design principle of sociopleasure. While Zoom can be a bit clunky at times, we also have to acknowledge that it’s quite a sophisticated and advanced piece of software. I believe there is much room for development in this space, and I am excited to see where videoconferencing will grow from here. I think in the future it will be a more immersive, dynamic, and sensory experience migrating away from the smaller laptop screen, and this is just the start.
