We’re about one year into the COVID-19 pandemic forced era of Zoom meetings, and Microsoft Teams meetings. Whether attending meetings for work or for get-togethers with family and friends, we’re all doing more video conferencing than ever before.
And I don’t know why it never occurred to me before, but I find myself waving at everyone on screen as the meeting wraps up.
Do you find yourself waving at people on the screen also? Call it what you will; fun, silly, pointless, but I’ve discovered I’m not the only one waving. As I scan the screen, there are a lot of other people on the call waving as well.
“I think it’s a sign that we’re trying to get the most out of our of limited social interaction,” said Dr. Levi Baker, assistant professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “We’re still doing formal meetings, even though they are virtual, but we’re missing the informal chats and get togethers that happen naturally in hallways and the breakroom. This is a way to recover a bit of that.”
It turns out, that wave is not a funny little quirk we’ve all developed from within the tiny squares of the digital real estate we’ve staked out on the screens of our new meeting format.
That wave is actually a good thing. Humans are social creatures and for the past year, creating that social connection has been really difficult. That simple wave provides a bit of social connection.
Baker also believes the wave is part of the non-verbal communication that occurs during in-person meetings.
“Virtual meetings limit all of the non-verbal communications, the subtle gestures that occur in meetings that provide a lot of information to everyone attending,” adds Baker. “Granted, the wave isn’t subtle, but it’s a way to recover some of that non-verbal communication.”
Think back to the time of face-to-face meetings when people nodded hello to each other as they entered a room, or closed notebooks or checked their phones to signify the meeting was over.
Since we can’t do that, and let’s face it, just ending the meeting by clicking away might be considered kind of rude, the wave is nice way to acknowledge each other as well as show things are wrapping up.
As for why the waves tend to be over-exaggerated: “We want to look good and we want it to be visible within that square,” Baker said. “It’s basically the same reason people arrange and even decorate the background areas for online meetings as well as dress-up from the waist up. We want our little square of the screen to project a good image.”
Call it the culture of virtual. While we have been socially distanced for more than a year, we haven’t become socially inept. Social interaction is important and that’s a good thing.
(I’m waving at all of you right now!!!)