Why I leave my webcam off

Whenever possible, I leave my webcam off during internet meetings. It is almost always possible.

There are a few reasons. In decreasing importance:

Attention

Screens are attention-destroyers.

There are so many things to look at and to do. I was probably deep into a task when the meeting started. So tempting to just nudge it along. Or I might stare at myself on camera.

If I turn the webcam off, I can stand up and move around.

The impact of this on my attention is dramatic.

People sometimes think that I’ve turned off my camera so that I can tune out. This has it exactly backwards. If my camera is on, I’m probably not paying much attention.

As a bonus, I get fresh air, exercise, a tidier house, or fewer weeds in my garden.

Fatigue

Being on-camera is tiring; it’s well-documented. I have yet to see benefits from video that outweigh that cost.

Connection quality

Except for the very best of internet connections, audio-only just works better.

Fluid conversation consists of continuous negotiation about turn-taking. Every negotiation is a round trip; high latency destroys easy communication.

Humans also handle audio hiccups better than video artifacts, perhaps because we’re accustomed to acoustic interference in the real world. Wind happens, but a frozen, pixelated face is unnerving.

Formality

I don’t FaceTime my family or close friends. We talk on the phone. It’s relaxing and pleasant. Video calls feel formal and stiff.

And in fact, the main scenario in which I find it socially difficult to turn off my video camera is in formal calls, usually with people I don’t know.

Increasingly, though, I establish from the moment that the call is scheduled that my camera will be off. Any awkwardness from that has faded by the time the call occurs. And I’m happier for it.