ZOOM – Which side of the fence are you on?
By Kylee Harrison
We are fast approaching the two-year mark of “the change.” The change happened when this thing called Covid screamed into our lives. On top of the new health jargon we were learning, we were also experiencing a whole other gamut of newness. Terms like zoom, virtual, hybrid-format and online were becoming a mainstay in our lives.
Here we are two years later and Covid aside, we are still talking about the whole virtual thing. I don’t just mean with schools, but work, churches, civic organizations, and other extra-curricular activities. So, what side of the fence do you fall on? It seems that people have a hard opinion on whether this is a positive trend that we have entered into, or if they are ready to get back to the “old” way of doing things. Here are some interesting facts to consider:
Geographical Distance – Living in Southwest Kansas, it is no secret that we are a few miles from the big city. More often than not, work meetings, conferences and other activities happen in these larger cities. In order to attend an in-person event, extensive travel is necessary. This is not always feasible in every situation. Online formats make for greater access to those of us living a distance from cities.
Time Commitment – Virtual meetings typically last an average of 1-2 hours. If this was an in-person meeting and travel was an additional 2-3 hours, that could potentially be the majority of your day that is taken up with one task. Online offers a worker the ability to be more productive with their work hours.
Like I mentioned above, there is definitely another side to this debate. One could argue that online formats of events have done nothing but hinder societies meaningful, productive connections. Drawbacks of virtual events include; technology hardware, reliable internet and knowledge of participants. Simply put, will the participants enjoy the experience?
One compromise is becoming known as a hybrid format. This is a case where some participants are in person while others are virtual. Another option is a fusion. This happens when all participants are together, but some sessions are online and others are in person. This typically happens when the event is over a period of time.
In my opinion, it doesn’t seem that virtual gatherings will be going away any time soon. K-State is actually having some very interesting discussions involving community training for attending/hosting hybrid formats as well as possible trainings for those interested in working remotely. If you are interested in any of these topics, or have an opinion to share, please feel free to email kharrison@ksu.edu or call 620-624-5604.
