How Can We Cope With Zoom Fatigue?

10/28/20 • 47 min

The phrase “telecommuting” was first coined in the early 1970s by a NASA employee named Jack Nilles. Nilles claimed telecommuting could offset traffic congestion, promote resource conservation, and be a major convenience for those so engaged. In addition to the societal and environmental benefits, CEOs of major companies said it increased productivity and offered greater flexibility for workers, as workplaces across the country adopted it as an option.

But when COVID-19 hit, telework quickly went from an option to a necessity. Overnight, more than half of Americans went to work over Zoom. Months into the pandemic, we’re starting to see the consequences. But in the current environment, many major companies have announced that their employees will work remotely on a long term basis. Are we ready for this?

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Previous Episode

Is There a Way to Keep Schools Open Safely?

Early in March, the COVID-19 pandemic began burning a furious path across the U.S., shuttering schools and sending 50 million students home. Some of the nation’s largest public school districts, including New York City and Los Angeles, were the first to close their doors for the remainder of the academic year.

Many parents were forced to become educators for the first time in their lives. And school districts quickly tried to become fully equipped for distance learning - an experiment that laid bare the digital divide in America, and exposed a modern inequality exacerbated by the virus.

As the effort to reopen schools happens across the country, one thing is certain: All will be forced to navigate this new normal in education while still in the middle of a public health crisis. But what does reopening look like, and how can it happen safely? And how will it evolve as COVID-19 remains uncontained in America?

With the school year well underway, we need answers, good answers, and fast.

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Next Episode

What Will Tech Policy Look Like In The Next Administration?

With Election 2020 coming to a close, President-Elect Joe Biden is moving to assemble his administration and set his policy priorities. The new leader faces many challenging technology issues, from antitrust, privacy, and content moderation to China and digital disparities made worse by COVID-19. He'll also have to make decisions regarding key tech policy positions. He does this at a time of diminished Democratic numbers in the House of Representatives and a Senate where party control is yet to be determined. Against this backdrop, Brookings scholars Darrell West, Nicol Turner-Lee, and Tom Wheeler discuss key issues facing the new administration and how they will approach technology challenges.

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