Online Fatigue is Real

BY: RAMIRA R. JULIAN

Teacher III - BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Date posted: August 6, 2020

In an article written by Julia Sklar of National Geographic, she mentioned that video calls are an elegant solution for remote activities but it is also taxing the brain says Science.

We can agree that the teaching profession is always tiring but conducting classes online doubles the exhaustion. The online fatigue is not limited to Zoom but also to similar applications such as Skype, Facetime, Hangouts and Google.

Online fatigue, according to Gianpiero Petriglieri, is caused by video calls requiring an individual to focus more than a face-to-face chat. He added that there is a dissonance in the body and the mind where the minds are together and the bodies are not.

Petriglieri added that silece also takes a toll and a challenge for the people who work online and it has been proven that delays in online conversations shaped people’s views negatively. Being in the camera, as well, contributes to online fatigue as we tend to think that we are being watched.

What adds to these challenges is that the society is being ‘forced’ to be in such kind of activity due to the pandemic.

To alleviate online fatigue, experts suggest that people need to limit themselves in online activities. Teachers can also share files in advance to avoid information overload and always check the well-being of the participants of the call. Experts say that turning on the cameras is optional.

Currently, we are on a transition period on how to adapt to new normal and one of the best things to do is not take online fatigue less important .