28 Zoom
Peyton Rail
28.1 Introduction
Keywords
- Zoom: a proprietary video telephony software program developed by Zoom Video Communications.
- COVID-19: infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Caused a nationwide pandemic in 2019-2022.
- Quarantine: a state, period, or place of isolation in which an individual must be placed in due to being exposed to infectious disease.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:
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Understand the effect coronavirus had on generation Z
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Why generation Z is considered a “Digital Era”
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Reliance of technology during this era
We are living in a digital era. Generation Z, often referred to as “Zoomers” have been first hand experiences of the effect technology and science has had on our society. Much of what we do in these times involves some sort of technology. This generation can’t remember a time where the use of the internet was unavailable. Technology has become an outlet for many things over the years, especially in 2019, and it has completely taken over our lives.
In the early spring of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic completely altered national life. To stop the spread of the newly discovered disease across the world, everyone was ordered to quarantine and self-isolate. Many individuals turned to the internet to keep up the socialization they once did in person.
“Video conference. Business partners communicate via video using laptop. The guy talks with his business
partners appearance about plans and strategy. Distant work” by Kateryna is used with permission from the copyright holder
28.2 How Did Coronavirus Turn Everything Digital
Key Takeaways
April 2020 was the first full month in the United States of America of COVID. This month consisted of an initial impact that was widespread and affected people across all age groups, and all states (Udalova). The U.S. experienced 2.4 deaths per 10,000 individuals beyond predictions based on historical mortality trends; which was a 33% increase in all-cause national mortality — deaths caused COVID-19 (Udalova).
COVID-19 spread so rapidly due to how contagious it was. This disease is transmitted mostly through respiratory droplets, but whether transmission can be forwarded by touching a surface (ie, a fomite) is uncertain (Mohapatra et al. 2020). Because of how little we knew about this new virus, our government put in many restrictions in our daily lives for our own protection.
“people connect together, learning or meeting online with teleconference, video conference remote working on computer laptop, work from home and anywhere, new normal concept, vector flat illustration” by ST.Art is in used with permission from the copyright holder
28.3 How has our digital era affected our generation?
Key Takeaways
Technology has severely impaired our generation. Most of what we do nowadays is on our devices. There aren’t many places we go without them because of the impact they have had on our lives. Especially during COVID, technology was the main way we communicated with each other, went to school at a certain time and were able to remain “normal” when everything around us was changing.
As a result of the pandemic, many individuals have steered away from in person interactions and communicated mostly online. Due to the context of COVID-19, this was what many people were used to. Online interactions have completely changed the way we interact with others, and has significantly decreased our ability to communicate with others.
Many people now take advantage of social media sites such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. When COVID-19 occurred, Zoom became very popular. Many high schools, colleges and universities began to use this source to try and be “normal”, living through these new circumstances. At first, it was only supposed to occur for two weeks, but 3 months later Zoom was still a thing. Important events such as family gatherings and church were also affected and required live streaming just like school.
Generation Z employees are finding remote work more challenging overall and more than one-third said it has hurt their work/life balance and think their employer needs to provide them with better tools for working remotely. (Gurchiek 2020). Generation Z is particularly affected due to the pandemic because—like the Great Depression and World War II were for Traditionalists and Sept. 11, 2001, was for Millennials—the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major impact on the formative years of this generation (Gurchiek).
“Video conference user interface, video conference calls window overlay” by Valery Medvedev is used with permission from the copyright holder
28.4 Zoomers
Key Takeaways
In this section, learn more about the zoom associated with this generation as well as why it is associated. Learn more about the digital era as well as the individuals who are living in it.
Generational names are helpful because they connote key societal, cultural, and technological changes, innovations, and disasters which had the greatest impact for each age cohort (Stone 2020). The COVID-19 coronavirus global pandemic is definitely a generation-defining event, due to the changes in how we live seem to be long-lasting. There will be differences in how humans get together for events, how and where we work, what percentage of goods will be delivered, and much more (Stone). The most commonly known name for this generation is Gen Z. This name was given because of alphabetical order, in which it followed Gen X and Gen Y. In light of the pandemic, it could be known as Gen Z as in Zoom, the popular video meeting platform, utilized by many. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of Zoom and similar platforms which will be a generation-defining characteristic (Stone).
“Shot of a screen of teammates doing a virtual happy hour from their home offices.” by Iurii Seleznev is used with permission from the copyright holder
Members of Gen Z are currently in middle and high school, college, or just entering the workforce. This will be the first generation to come of age with this major shift to virtual meetings (Stone). Our generation was forced into isolation, and at such a young age, many still craved social interactions. Due to this, many turned to online resources to be able to talk, listen, and learn from others; causing us to coin the phrase unanimously as Generation ‘Zoomer” (Merriam-Webster).
By far the best name is the one that captures the resiliency this generation will need to bounce back from the impact of the pandemic: It combines a play on the “Boomers” generation as well as an admittance of the shift to remote communication which had shaped the interactions of this generation. This label speaks to both the quick change that has marked its members’ early years as well as the nature of the change itself (Robinson).
28.5 Zoom
Key Takeaways
Every teenager across America is most likely familiar with the online resource known as Zoom. Zoom is an online audio and video conferencing platform especially utilized during the worldwide pandemic in 2019. Schools transferred to using Zoom after in person classes were put on hold because of this highly contagious disease, and many used it for events such as birthday parties, church masses, and family gatherings.
We are all craving some sort of normalcy. For the homebound and quarantined, Zoom is offering an unconventional return to socialization (Hickey 2020). The nationwide pandemic was nothing like anything our generation has ever experienced. Because of this, we were forced to adapt and use new resources to create a new “normal”. As of mid-April 2019, 191 countries implemented school closures which had impacted 1.57 billion students (Xiao and Fan 2022). Due to this, many educational institutions started offering courses online attempting to ensure education was not disrupted by quarantine measures utilizing online resources such as Zoom (Xiao and Fan). This generation communicates using a variety of social media channels. Email is as ancient as handwritten letters. The virtual world is a large part of their professional experience, meaning face-to-face interaction is not as much of a priority as it used to be (CMG Health Marketing).
“Zoom logo on the screen smartphone with notebook blurred background closeup. Zoom Video Communications is a company that provides remote conferencing services. “ by prima91 is is used with permission from the copyright holder
Gen Z has the voice and media presence to largely define themselves. The irony of the name aligning with the events of the early months of 2020 has not been lost on them. (Robinson).
This generation, unlike most others, has been plunged headfirst into a new reality that has affected education, career paths, work experience as well as worldview. They deserve a name for the adaptability and creativity needed to get through the disaster occurring around them (Robinson). Social responsibility is a major representation to Gen Z.
Case Study
Amelia is a freshman undergraduate student at Clemson University and is originally from New Market, Virginia. In sophomore year of high school COVID-19 had a very large impact on her life. She was unable to see her family and friends, and was forced to do all of her school work online. She had realized she had taken for granted in person interactions and was looking for an outlet to interact with others. Amelia never really used her phone, and didn’t understand the concept of social media and why people were so addicted to it.
When Amelia was forced to quarantine, and remain isolated for almost 3 months, she started using her phone more, and found herself interacting with others mainly online. She found herself spending almost 10 hours a day on her phone/computer attempting to stay connected with her peers and family. Much of her family lives in New Jersey, causing many events such as holidays, birthdays, or even simple family events to be through resources such as Zoom.
In a time where it felt like being connected with others was impossible, resources such as social media (Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc.) and Zoom attempted to keep some normal aspects of human interaction.
Chapter Summary
COVID-19 has had a great impact on our world and the way we live. Social interactions were no longer something that occurred in person, and almost everything was done online. This has created a much lower attention span for many developing teenagers. “I definitely use technology a lot more,” Ella Liebel had told me recently when I had asked her about her technology use post pandemic. Due to the increase in free time and inability to see relatives, many started to use social media. Social media began to become a large part of our lives due to the pandemic, and had turned into a platform for many to communicate with others.
Learning Objectives
- In our world today, take a moment to reflect on how many times a day you use technology. Whether it is checking your socials, using your computer to do school work, or even ordering food. How many times a day would you say you use modern technology?
- Imagine your world without technology. No internet, social sites, or the ability to text/send emails. How different would your life be today
References
COVID-19: 10 tech trends getting us through the pandemic. (2022, May 20). World Economic
Forum.https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/10-technology-trends-coronavirus-covid19-pandemic-robotics-telehealth/
Editors of Merriam-Webster. (2022, May 17). What to Call Gen Z – Zoomers: Words We’re
Watching. The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-were-watching-zoomer-gen-z
Gerhardt, M. (2020, June 7). Coronavirus and Zoom have marked a generation. Let’s call them
Zoomers. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/coronavirus-zoom-have-marked-generation-let-s-call-them-zoomers-ncna1226241
Gurchiek, K. (2021, July 7). COVID-19 Pandemic Is Hitting Gen Z Hard. Find Ways to Connect.
SHRM.https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/covid19-pandemic-is- hitting-gen-z-hard-find-ways-to-connect-with-them.aspx
Just a moment. (2020, March 17).
https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2020/03/17/call-zoomers-gen-z-flocks-zoom-quarantine
Stone, T. (2020, April 21). Gen Z as in Zoom: Coronavirus and the Disruption of Compelling
Reasons.https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/gen-z-zoom-covid-19-disruption-compelling-reasons-thomas-stone
Udalova. (2022, March 25). Pandemic Impact on Mortality and Economy Varies Across Age
Groups and Geographies. Census.gov.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/03/initial-impact-covid-19-on-united-states-economy-more-widespread-than-on-mortality.html
What Has COVID-19 Changed for Gen Z? Almost Everything. (n.d.). CMG Health Marketing.
https://www.coxhealthmarketing.com/news/what-has-covid-19-changed-for-gen-z-almost-everything
Zoom. (n.d.-a). Instagram.
