Videoconference Fatigue: A Conceptual Analysis

Nicola Döring, Katrien De Moor, Markus Fiedler, Katrin Schoenenberg and Alexander Raake
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Nicola Döring: Institute of Media and Communication Science, Technische Universität Ilmenau, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany
Katrien De Moor: Department of Information Security and Communication Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
Markus Fiedler: Department of Technology and Aesthetics, Blekinge Institute of Technology, 374 35 Karlshamn, Sweden
Katrin Schoenenberg: Department for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany
Alexander Raake: Institute for Media Technology, Technische Universität Ilmenau, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Videoconferencing (VC) is a type of online meeting that allows two or more participants from different locations to engage in live multi-directional audio-visual communication and collaboration (e.g., via screen sharing). The COVID-19 pandemic has induced a boom in both private and professional videoconferencing in the early 2020s that elicited controversial public and academic debates about its pros and cons. One main concern has been the phenomenon of videoconference fatigue. The aim of this conceptual review article is to contribute to the conceptual clarification of VC fatigue. We use the popular and succinct label “Zoom fatigue” interchangeably with the more generic label “videoconference fatigue” and define it as the experience of fatigue during and/or after a videoconference, regardless of the specific VC system used. We followed a structured eight-phase process of conceptual analysis that led to a conceptual model of VC fatigue with four key causal dimensions: (1) personal factors, (2) organizational factors, (3) technological factors, and (4) environmental factors. We present this 4D model describing the respective dimensions with their sub-dimensions based on theories, available evidence, and media coverage. The 4D-model is meant to help researchers advance empirical research on videoconference fatigue.

Keywords: video call; Zoom; Skype; Cisco Webex; Microsoft Teams; Big Blue Button; exhaustion; COVID-19 pandemic; computer-mediated communication; face-to-face-communication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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