Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zoom and other video calling services have been extremely helpful for both business and staying in touch with family and friends. Even after the restrictions were lifted, video conferencing remained a very popular practice. However, besides all the advantages that this software has brought, it also has been a part of many cringe-worthy and embarrassing moments. From screaming kids running around to someone undressing in the background, you've probably heard a lot of incidents like these before.
While some funny moments remain private, others are too much to handle without discussing them with a wider audience. That’s why we gathered the most awkward and ridiculous Zoom meeting fails that were shared in this thread started by Twitter user @eggshellfriend. Scroll down to read some shameful stories. What are your experiences with video conferencing?
This post may include affiliate links.
my boss also does this (denies receiving). I just re-forward it with his name on the CC list in big red circle.
For those interested in history, Zoom was originally founded in 2011 but its origins go back to the 1990s, when Eric Yuan when studying at Shandong University of Science and Technology in China, wanted to find an easier way to see his now-wife. In 1997, he worked at a videoconferencing startup for 14 years before leaving to start his own company.
Right now, Zoom is one of the most widely spread proprietary videotelephony software programs used in school, business and for private purposes.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses and people had to find a method to operate remotely as lockdowns forced offices to close around the world. That’s when Zoom became the pandemic’s success story. According to Wired, at the end of April 2020, the calling service announced total revenue of $328.2 million, a 169 percent increase from the same period the previous year.
After the restrictions were lifted, Zoom calls still remain a popular practice, being chosen over life meetings by some. However, the question remains whether our love for this video technology will dissolve in the future now that we can go back to our offices.
To be fair we do that to each other in the team when presenting for amusement value.
Obviously, while participating in conferences from the comfort of our homes, we tend to act differently. There’s no need to look presentable (if you don’t have your camera on) and you can do some side jobs at the same time (if you’re good at multitasking, of course). However, as we can see from these tweets, it happens that we let our guard down a little too much sometimes and allow some embarrassing things to slip out. Do you have some cringe-worthy Zoom fails to share?
Interestingly, observations of remote meetings revealed that using video calls significantly helps team members and the team leader to establish stronger relational bonds. It is partly because video meetings allow participants to be more engaged in group discussions, to express their thoughts and opinions more freely and to resolve disagreements more quickly.
On the other hand, video conferencing is not for all, causing feelings of anxiety and exposure for some. According to the successful video communication report presented by Pearn Kandola, this stems from “a lack of familiarity or awareness in using the technology solutions effectively.”
not embarrassing , just sad. At least it wasn't some of these others.
The 2020s version of getting busted passing notes in class and having the teacher read it out to everyone? :)
what does this mean, she was moonlighting?? it just means she's not paid enough.
So nothing happened and it was not embarrassing. Cool story
I am quite good about this. I generally close all comms apps before I open zoom. However one time I did leave my mike on while I was eating and my boss was like "Is that someone chewing?" super embarrassing.
I'm super paranoid about what people can see when I'm on zoom/teams so I always triple check everything beforehand. It's really dumb considering the worst thing they could see was that I play league of legends.
Load More Replies...
I have a friend who - whenever he unwisely downloads pr0n onto his computer - he’ll immediately add a prefix to the beginning of the file. Ie, “SSS - DJT in Moscow hotel.mp4”. Not a perfect system, and it requires some discipline. But it comes in handy: relatively easy to remove all pr0n, or move it onto another system, and be reasonably confident that it’s all gone.
I am quite good about this. I generally close all comms apps before I open zoom. However one time I did leave my mike on while I was eating and my boss was like "Is that someone chewing?" super embarrassing.
I'm super paranoid about what people can see when I'm on zoom/teams so I always triple check everything beforehand. It's really dumb considering the worst thing they could see was that I play league of legends.
Load More Replies... I have a friend who - whenever he unwisely downloads pr0n onto his computer - he’ll immediately add a prefix to the beginning of the file. Ie, “SSS - DJT in Moscow hotel.mp4”. Not a perfect system, and it requires some discipline. But it comes in handy: relatively easy to remove all pr0n, or move it onto another system, and be reasonably confident that it’s all gone.
