Video Calls Good and Bad

"Why is your camera off?"

"Why do you *prefer* your camera off? Are you some kind of terrorist freak? Up to something... shady? What *planet* are you from exactly? Everybody *normal* knows the standard now is 7-dimensional calls augmented by both ML and under-the-tongue thermometers, DUH!!!"

I'm sure many people have encountered these types of questions or reactions before. The frequency seems to be increasing. And I'm sure the justifications or assumptions vary both by person and situation. Video calls have some *really* great features. Also... some truly *terrible* ones. Whether they make sense or not, I suspect, depends on the particular context and set of people involved.

Below I'll spell out -- once and for all -- what *I* perceive, subjectively, as the list of both the best and worst qualities of a video call. Compared to its alternatives. Since this issue is a FAQ I might save everyone time in the future by writing it out and being able to point at a URL.

The Good

* smiles can be seen

* facial lang can be read

* body lang can be read

* can help with interpersonal chemistry, bonding & sense of team

* more sensory inputs upon which to improvise (riff jokes or spark questions & convo threads)

* harder for someone to "cheat" if being quizzed/challenged live (tho not impossible)

* if screensharing planned its helpful if all parties seated before laptop/desktop computers anyway, and webcams are common

* if screensharing would be nice as an option to improvise upon during the call (similar to above logic; though in both cases it is possible to do screensharing while ALSO keeping cameras off. therefore screensharing is not a true delineating feature in favor of video calls; its more that I was scrambling to help boost "their" side of argument, to be generous)

The Bad

* misbuttoned/misaligned shirts (hey dont laugh!)

* shaving cuts

* bad hair

* booger in nose (again: no laughing!)

* awkward stuff visible in your bg (eg. a stuffed moose head on wall when your counter-party/boss/employer is strictly anti-hunting (NOTE: I've literally seen a past co-worker do this); or a political party-aligned poster, etc)

* other party might see/confirm/record (or tattle-tale upon) your ethnicity, enabling them to discriminate based on it (which is illegal and arguably immoral too)

* ditto on gender

* ditto on if trans/CD

* ditto on age

* ditto on religion (if religious paraphenalia is visible)

* health problem visible (even a temporary, recoverable or irrelevant one)

* disability visible

* ditto on genetic/birth disformity

* being judged on beauty/ugly

* cognitively distracting weight on brain by the visuals/anims, which effectively drops your speaking IQ in-the-moment and adds "idea-to-utterance" response latency, making you sound more dumb, ignorant, confused or intoxicated-seeming-when-actually-not

* more bandwidth used (due to visual plane) is bigger burden on your ISP and total route in-between parties, therefore means less bw avail for audio, means more likely to reduce quality of audio (via drops or lag)

* GeoIP-type surveillance & location-piercing (which is creepy and dangerous, and needed usually only if your counter-party is a predator, like a natsec threat agent, a would-be thief, an obsessed stalker or an abusive ex) (tho both video AND audio-only VoIP can do this; video is not only culprit)

* if in relationship: a spouse/lover might randomly appear in frame, possibly in awkward dress state; this might ALSO reveal your private sexuality (which can then be discriminated upon)

* if parent: kids randomly ambushing into frame

* pets randomly interrupting

Summary and Conclusion

I appreciate video calls. I do!

But overall... I'm not a big fan. As you might have guessed. They have their place -- one where they ARE a *clear* net win.

Personally, in a purely social or romantic context I've concluded its better to START with emails and text-messaging THEN audio-only calls (with someone who is still a stranger to you or otherwise a new acquiantance.) And only advance to video *once* a certain level of trust and history has been established, two-way.

Likewise in an employment or career context. Once you work for a company and have become part of a team thats clicking and have successfully collaborated, solved and shipped together before, and therefore by then you've otherwise "earned your spurs" in the eyes of your boss or the business owner, and have a reasonable belief in your "job safety" then, sure, making video calls common and perhaps the default can make sense, going forward.

But when making first contact within your profession/field? With a recruiter or a potential new employer or boss?

Audio-only should be your preference.

Ideally via a traditional phone. Ideally using the highest quality service provider you have (or can afford.) In order to both maximize call quality and maximize the preservation of *mutual* privacy.

Why? A better dialogue experience is more likely, for both. And it minimizes the worst case downside risks.

It is a good initial step! And a taster, for all parties.

Next/later, once it makes more sense -- and if everybody wishes it -- you can *try* video calls,  even with ALL CAMERAS ON (including under-the-tongue thermometers, seismic detectors, trained spy ravens, etc), in order to roll-the-dice on a strategy clearly based more on... "Livin La Vida Loca!"