After a year of Zoom meetings, we’ll need to rebuild trust through eye contact

(Emery,2017)

In the article “After a year of Zoom meetings, we’ll need to rebuild trust through eye contact”, David Weitzner is discussing how people around the globe have become more accustomed to hiding behind devices due to Zoom taking over in-person interactions both during and after the pandemic, which has led to rarely receiving or making eye contact with others in a daily setting. This in turn has led to a radical reduce in our capacity to trust what others are saying, since trust is built on direct eye contact, and generally human direct relations to one another. (Harvard, 2021) Many people have become more hesitant in social situations as a result of a general lack of social connections. Because hiding behind a screen and avoiding social encounters is a common option in today's environment.

 

In 1976, the Social Presence Theory was created. The meaning of physical signals in communication is the focus of this theory. Communication is considerably more than simply language, as Joseph B. Walther explains. Nonverbal communication methods such as facial expressions, eye contact, as well as tone, and body language are utilized to reinforce what you want to say. Determine if a medium has a high social presence or not based on how many of these physical signals it enables. (Walther, 2012) 

 

With this knowledge, it is safe to say that nonverbal communication is a must-have in modern society. Only what one says in words is less important. Body language, facial expressions, movement patterns, posture, voice, eye contact, and everything else that is expressed non-verbally must all be strong if you wish to acquire people' trust. We humans express our moods, intents, attitudes, and values through nonverbal communication, particularly through body language, which is crucial to remember. 

 

References

 

Harvard. (2021, August 31). The 3 elements of trust. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2019/02/the-3-elements-of-trust

 

 

Walther, J. B. (2012, October 10). Communication processes in ... - wiley online library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2012.01592.x. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2012.01592.x 

 

Emery, D. (2017, March 6). Fact check: Did einstein say he feared technology would create a 'generation of idiots'? Snopes.com. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/einstein-technology-quote/