The early weeks of lockdown have seen an unprecedented take-up of on-screen technologies for both our professional and personal lives. The “Zoom revolution” has swept every country affected by the global pandemic. People who would not usually even use FaceTime or take a selfie have found themselves comparing the relative merits of BlueJeans, Houseparty, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams or Skype.
With this surge in onscreen traffic comes a corresponding desire to look and sound good. This is not necessarily a new challenge, but it is suddenly an urgent and widespread one. I have been teaching workshops and giving keynotes on “owning the room” for the past five years. In corporate environments, it is very common for a question about “nailing” videoconferencing to come up. No one likes this technology or feels that it shows them at their best. Even before everyone started working from home I was often asked: “How do you own the room when you are not in the room?”
This came up again at a leadership event with a major US corporation earlier this year, pre-lockdown. I turned to the audience for the answer: “Raise your hand if you have ever seen anyone ‘owning the room’ on a video conference and thought, ‘I wish I could come across like that person.’”
In a room of 500 people, only three hands went up. When quizzed further, the “digital role models” they were thinking of were all high-status individuals who were charismatic and well-liked. The people who find being on-screen easiest have easy-going personalities and are often secure in their place in the hierarchy. Surprise, surprise. This offers nothing helpful to the rest of us.
I’ve asked this question in multiple environments, including in some of the companies who originated these technologies. My conclusion is that few people excel in a Zoom-type situation. If anything, screen communications can even reduce the impact of high-status individuals, as there is an equalising effect. This may be a good thing in some environments but can be problematic for leadership.
How to run the meeting
In terms of how the meeting is conducted, follow the usual rules of good practice in real life. Appoint a chair. Don’t allow long tirades or multiple interruptions. Call on those who are silent for long periods. Behave as you would on a panel at a conference where the audience can always see you: you can be seen at all times (unless you turn off your camera), so look interested.
Of course there is something that feels odd about treating a Zoom appearance as if you are going on television. But the truth is: the brains of others will process your image as if you are on TV. So you would do well to imagine that you are. Will it destroy your career if you appear in pyjamas, eating cereal and looking bored? Maybe not definitively. Everyone realises that these are strange times and affecting lots of us in unpredictable ways. So people are likely to have more understanding and compassion than usual. However, we are base and basic. Our unconscious minds are attracted to what looks good on screen. Show up for others how you would want them to show up for you.
Why are you having the meeting?
It is likely that at the moment these onscreen technologies are being overused as a default, out of desperation and out of novelty. A bit like real-life meetings, which are often used to punctuate working life and/or as an affection of “busyness” and so often achieve nothing, Zoom can be a way of pretending that we are still coping, that it is business as usual, that important things are still happening.
But are they really being achieved? Or are you holding a Zoom meeting to foster the appearance of industry and efficiency? Is the goal connection and continuation? (Completely reasonable.) Or do you have practical, specific problems to solve? If you have leadership responsibilities, these are important questions to ask.
Like real-life meetings, screen gatherings require concentration to be effective. A 20 minute meeting with 15 minutes of chat and connection followed by five minutes of decision-making can be ideal. If a real-life meeting is unbearable at an hour and a half, then a Zoom meeting is completely intolerable. (I did a four-hour Zoom meeting this week with eight participants. It took me three days and an hour on the phone to my therapist to recover.)
There is no research into the optimal length of these meetings. But there is a tonne of research that our concentration span needs variation at around 18-20 minutes of screen time, otherwise we reach “cognitive load” and tune out.
If a meeting is going to last longer than 20 minutes, introduce something to vary tone or pace. Make everyone summarise their takeaway in one sentence. Or give everyone 60 seconds to sum up their biggest challenge of the week.
What the experts say
Most of the research about the efficacy and psychological effects of on-screen communication has been conducted not in corporate life but in academia and in psychotherapy. A 2018 survey of 1,800 students by the International Journal of Doctoral Studies found that video conferencing reduced feelings of isolation in students and increased motivation, providing “an avenue for real-time interaction and rich dialogue”.
Academics report that screen meetings are beneficial for introverted students who feel more comfortable asking questions. I am not sure, though, these benefits will be replicated across industries. I am hearing from a lot of people whose stress levels are soaring because of multiple Zoom commitments, which feel exhausting and pointless.
I was struck recently by an interview with a clinical psychologist who resigned — pre-lockdown — from an online therapy business because of ethical concerns: “It all seemed financially driven, rather than care-driven.” Online therapy was becoming popular, she judged, not because it was an effective treatment but because it could be easily rolled out.
I wonder if the current Zoom craze is similar. We are doing it because we can and because it is cheap and easy. But is it obtaining the desired results? Is it goal-focused? Or is it camouflaging an awkward truth that is hard to articulate? At the moment, it might be impossible to separate out these things. It matters less how well you come across on screen than what you hope to achieve by being there. Never has the idea of “finding your why” been more important.
The writer is an author and coach. Her latest book is Lift As You Climb: Women and the Art of Ambition.
Vital tips for virtual meetings
Don’t eat onscreen. Drink in moderation just as you would in a real meeting. (Would you really take a latte into a meeting? Or a job interview?)
Mute yourself: when you are not contributing.
Rest your laptop on a pile of books. Put the camera at eye level. Make sure a light source is casting light on your face and is not behind you.
Behave like you are in a job interview. You are being scrutinised all the time when you are on screen. Look alert, look positive, put a smile in your eyes.
Look at the camera not the screen itself. If you struggle with this and you have a presentation to give, cover the screen with a newspaper or a piece of cardboard to force yourself to look at the camera and not at the faces of your fellow contributors.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
