Steve Blank What’s Missing From Zoom Reminds Us What It Means to Be Human

That’s the question Zoom and all its competitors haven’t really asked. Zoom has done a good job of asking why it was hard to get into a call, but hasn’t really asked why you’re in the call in the first place. Why, exactly, are you sending someone a video stream and watching another one? Why am I looking at a grid of little thumbnails of faces? Is t... See more

The goal of the metaverse is not to build technology for people to interact with; but rather, build technology for people to interact with each otherSpatial audio and eye contact technology are just two features to drastically improve on current video meeting technology, for exampleEstablishing a presence is the most difficult problem

The impact of bad design is massive – multiplied across the billions of people striving to flourish online, not only when we need the technology as a stop-gap measure to alleviate disruptions to everyday life, but also when we want to use it for more socially progressive purposes. Videoconferencing, and the telepresence experience it can enable, pr... See more

Now to a related topic: why are Zoom calls draining? Or better yet, why aren’t Zoom calls more entertaining? Forget the eye contact. I think it’s because people just don’t look as good. You’re looking humans from a very unnatural angle. They’re badly lit. It’s not a fun movie. Your mind is comparing it to reality and it’s far less engaging.

This is foremost because human beings are exquisitely sensitive to one another’s facial expressions. Authentic expressions of emotion are an intricate array of minute muscle contractions, particularly around the eyes and mouth, often subconsciously perceived, and essential to our understanding of one another. But those telling twitches all but disa... See more