Why we can’t stop staring at our own faces online

{"text":[[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":9.14,"text":"If you still find it hard not to stare at yourself when you’re on a video call, then you are not alone. "},{"start":14.469000000000001,"text":"Nor should you worry that this betrays a distressing level of narcissism. "},{"start":18.249000000000002,"text":"The author Nancy Mitford once observed that people who look at themselves in every reflection often do so not from vanity but a feeling that all is not quite as it should be. "},{"start":26.579,"text":"Video calls, which subtly distort our faces, are the perfect demonstration. "}],[{"start":32.16,"text":"The speed with which we have folded video meetings into our lives is remarkable. "},{"start":36.527,"text":"In 2019, California video conferencing company Zoom had 10mn daily users. "},{"start":41.894,"text":"It now has about 300mn. "},{"start":44.099000000000004,"text":"Rapid uptake has resulted in new etiquette — the smile and silent wave that marks the end of a call, for example. "},{"start":50.342,"text":"But the level of self-surveillance that is required remains strange. "},{"start":53.847,"text":"This is why companies such as Microsoft, Google and Zoom have been quietly changing your appearance. "}],[{"start":60.010000000000005,"text":"Last year, Microsoft introduced an eye-catching feature that allowed videocall users to pick from 12 digital make-up “looks”. "},{"start":66.964,"text":"The effects, created in tandem with cosmetics brand Maybelline, make cheeks appear rosier and eyes brighter. "},{"start":73.232,"text":"There is always the risk that a slow internet connection will produce a lag — move fast and your lipliner may not move with you — but it is a remedy to feeling drab in a morning meeting. "}],[{"start":82.96000000000001,"text":"Adding digital make-up to something that is primarily a work tool had a mixed response from users. "},{"start":88.26400000000001,"text":"Why, asked one, was Microsoft fiddling about with appearances when other features were still lacking? "},{"start":94.069,"text":"“There’s still no way for me to create a single Teams channel meeting in the Teams Calendar app,” they wrote. "},{"start":99.387,"text":"but I can put on lipstick? "},{"start":101.07900000000001,"text":"How is this a priority? ”"}],[{"start":103.63000000000001,"text":"In fact, how people look online is a priority for tech companies such as Microsoft. "},{"start":108.68400000000001,"text":"If that is someone’s main source of unease, then fixing it will help to ensure they keep using video conferencing platforms. "}],[{"start":115.59,"text":"Perhaps you think you haven’t participated in this trend? "},{"start":118.544,"text":"If so, you’d be wrong. "},{"start":120.562,"text":"Not every change has been as dramatic as Microsoft’s make-up looks. "},{"start":124.254,"text":"Most are subtle and take place without your knowledge. "}],[{"start":127.43,"text":"Take mirror view, which means that the screen you now see in most video conferences shows the version of your face that you see in a mirror — ie the one that you are most familiar with. "},{"start":136.422,"text":"Looking at the other version, the one everyone else sees when they look at you, tends to be jarring. "},{"start":141.464,"text":"Any asymmetry seems to be the wrong way round and so stands out. "},{"start":145.119,"text":"It’s something that smartphone makers and selfie-focused social networking company Snap figured out a long time ago. "}],[{"start":151.49,"text":"Other tweaks include lighting effects and skin smoothing. "},{"start":154.769,"text":"Zoom says that it was the first to offer “touch up my appearance” filters. "},{"start":158.62400000000002,"text":"In 2022, Microsoft introduced a soft-focus filter. "},{"start":162.704,"text":"A year later, Google added what it called “portrait touch-up”. "}],[{"start":167.05,"text":"Blame computers rather than your face for these fixes. "},{"start":170.317,"text":"PCs and laptops tend to have small camera lenses and record users relatively close up. "},{"start":175.459,"text":"That distorts appearances. "},{"start":177.252,"text":"Prominent parts of the face stand out more. "},{"start":179.769,"text":"Eyes can look smaller. "}],[{"start":182.18,"text":"Seeing this slightly unusual, and unflattering, version of yourself may be behind the phenomenon dubbed Zoom dysmorphia, in which people fixate on the supposed flaws they see on screen. "},{"start":192.372,"text":"I asked a Bay Area cosmetic nurse if it was true that video meetings had led to a rise in customers seeking fillers, Botox and other invasive procedures. "},{"start":200.52700000000002,"text":"Not only had the numbers increased, she said, but some patients came to see her with screenshots of themselves from online meetings. "},{"start":207.382,"text":"This is backed up by a 2021 survey of US dermatologists who said most of their patients mentioned video calls as one of the reasons for pursuing cosmetic treatment. "}],[{"start":217.13,"text":"Of course, the simple answer is to stop looking at yourself — or turn off self-view and concentrate on everyone else. "},{"start":223.74699999999999,"text":"But despite the complaints about how uncomfortable it is to be confronted with your own face for hours on end, this is a relatively unpopular option. "},{"start":231.302,"text":"A journalist at online magazine Wired suggested that hiding your image might induce a feeling that you have “dissolved into the ether”. "},{"start":237.644,"text":"I think it may be more to do with a mood-lowering suspicion that you need to monitor yourself in case your face does something weird in the meeting. "}],[{"start":245.19,"text":"There is a final, rather drastic, remedy. "},{"start":248.457,"text":"Google’s AI model Gemini is planning a new feature called “Attend for me” in which it will turn up to a video meeting on your behalf, deliver your message and then send you a recap of the other attendees responses. "},{"start":258.812,"text":"It sounds fantastically impolite and the sort of feature that will lead to no one attending video meetings in person ever again. "},{"start":265.179,"text":"For those who dislike looking at themselves online, that would be the dream scenario. "}],[{"start":269.49,"text":""}]],"url":"https://creatives.ftacademy.cn/album/151382-1713687797.mp3"}