4 Downsides Of Online Meetings In The COVID-19 Coronavirus Era

If you are like me, there is a stress and grief level over what is happening in our society right now. By the way, that’s normal and okay. The COVID-19 Coronavirus has fundamentally changed major aspects of life as we know it. Even weeks ago, I never imagined that my kids would be unable to walk into their schools or that entire states would be sheltering in place. While the number of virus cases continues to grow at exponential rates in the U.S., the number of online meetings using services like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Bluejeans has grown at a similar rate for me too. These meetings are certainly necessary given the crisis at hand. If there is a silver lining, I am pleased to be saving on carbon emissions by not having to fly or drive to meetings, conferences and so forth. As we settle into this new reality, I have noticed four downsides of the proliferation of online meetings.

Before I explore the downsides, it is important to clarify that I am fully supportive of online meetings in moderation. There are many positives things about online meetings. I noted earlier that they help reduce air pollution and carbon emissions. I haven’t flown in several years so this is extremely important to me. Online meetings also allow continued productivity from the comfort of our homes, offices or other personal spaces. I have been able to maintain connections with my class at the University of Georgia, continue synchronous learning activities, and interact with research collaborators. The online environments also provide and opportunity for people to interact with other people. We should not underestimate the importance of person-to-person interactions in these stressful times.

However, there are some downsides. First, I hypothesize that we may see online meeting “inflation.” A few days ago, I sat in front of my laptop all day logging in to meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting. While each of those meetings had useful elements, it made me realize something. I need social interaction, balance and mobility. With the accessibility of various online meeting platforms, scheduling meetings is very easy. Most of us are probably familiar with the complaint that most meetings could likely have been handled with an email. I wonder if the COVID-19 era will amplify the use of meetings “just because we can” or out of a sheer need to see other people.

Dr. Barb Mayes Bousted, a weather community colleague of mine, identified a second downside. She is a meteorologist and trainer at the National Weather Service. She made an outstanding point about scheduling online meetings during the COVID-19 lockdown.

For people scheduling meetings via Zoom, please keep in mind that it is NOT easy for those of us with young children at home to free ourselves for such meetings, especially if we have a spouse who is also employed (whether working from home or outside home).

Bousted says that more than 1-2 meetings per day for someone with young children at home and no dedicated caretaker are untenable. While that number may vary for other people, the point she makes is quite valid. COVID-19 coronavirus has changed the game for everyone. Parents are at home with kids, elderly parents, or sick family members. I often wonder if there is a presumption that people have more time because they are at home. In many cases, they actually may have less time because of the added responsibilities of work, caretaker, teacher, tutor, and more.

The third potential downside is inequity in accessibility. We are fortunate enough to have an ATT Fiber connection to the Internet in our home, and it still has occasional lags with four users with laptops, phones, TV connections, or gaming. The concept of hosting meetings or classes in online environments is an advancement for us all. However, it is important to realize that there may be a great deal of variability in how people experience the meetings because of Internet, Wifi, and technology in their homes. Scholars have written about access issues and what is called the “Digital Gap.” For this very reason, I chose to offer pre-loaded lectures to my students at the University of Georgia rather than relying exclusively on real-time online meetings.

My husband and I are stretching ourselves thin keeping up with homeschooling for our 3 elementary school aged children, while holding down our responsibilities as professors at Georgia Tech. When I express overwhelm, some folks are quick to say "Just tamp down your standards for homeschooling." But what they don't realize is that this structure is important for their mental health - when everything seems to be falling apart outside their home, when they can't see their friends, when they miss their teachers so badly they sometimes cry, these connections to their normal lives are critical. So yes, we will put in the time because it is soothing to them, even though the learning curves for different classrooms are incredibly steep! I feel like I'm a 1st year graduate student again. Underwater, but with a clear and compelling goal to fuel me forward.

A final downside that comes to mind is related to security issues. There are rampant cases of “zoombombing,” which should your level of caution with sharing meeting information. Several experts have become increasingly concerned about the security vulnerabilities associated with online meeting platforms as their usage has dramatically increased.

At the end of the day, the world will probably change forever if and when we get back to “normal.” Online meetings in moderation are quite useful and extremely helpful for the environment. This article is not anti-online meetings. It simply provides some things to think about as we continue to evolve in and after the COVID-19 crises.