Zoom backgrounds: The pandemic’s wallpaper

Your life in the foreground. Zoom backgrounds are rare instruments of free expression. Originally conceived as a privacy shield for remote workers, they reveal a wealth of information about people’s sensibilities. We can’t resist peering into people’s bookshelves or mulling the meaning of that stock photo behind a talking head—ogling virtual backgrounds has become a popular pandemic internet sport. Sure, there are [gaffes and blunders](, but that’s part of the joy of giving everyone free rein over their self-presentation. As we mark a year of [remote work](, some organizations are trying to regulate the look of virtual communications and offering branded templates. Before the Zoom background becomes policed by corporate branding cops, it’s time to peer into the creativity and diversity on people’s screens. Sit up straight, we’re zooming in. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Weekly Obsession] Zoom backgrounds April 14, 2021 Your life in the foreground --------------------------------------------------------------- Zoom backgrounds are rare instruments of free expression. Originally conceived as a privacy shield for remote workers, they reveal a wealth of information about people’s sensibilities. We can’t resist peering into people’s bookshelves or mulling the meaning of that stock photo behind a talking head—ogling virtual backgrounds has become a popular pandemic internet sport. Sure, there are [gaffes and blunders](, but that’s part of the joy of giving everyone free rein over their self-presentation. As we mark a year of [remote work](, some organizations are trying to regulate the look of virtual communications and offering branded templates. Before the Zoom background becomes policed by corporate branding cops, it’s time to peer into the creativity and diversity on people’s screens. Sit up straight, we’re zooming in. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [16×9:]( Recommended aspect ratio of a Zoom background [$15:]( Average cost of having someone create a Zoom background on Fiverr [45:]( Number of ready-to-use virtual backgrounds Harvard Law School offers to its students [90 minutes:]( Run time of the French Institute’s production of Molière’s Tartuffe, which makes creative use of Zoom backgrounds [2:]( Number of days it took Four Seasons Total Landscaping to release its own Zoom background after the Trump administration’s Four Seasons logistics mixup [4:]( Number of guns US congresswoman Lauren Boebert used as a Zoom backdrop during a recent House committee hearing Million-dollar question Background or no background? --------------------------------------------------------------- There are divergent schools of thought when it comes to choosing a Zoom background. Traditional wisdom says go with a blank wall. At a Quartz at Work from Home workshop, [Dustin York](, associate professor of communications at Maryville University, extolled on the advantages of plain vanilla, distraction-free backgrounds. “At the end of the day, your message needs to be at the forefront,” he said. But there’s a good argument to be made for colorful backdrops, too. Unique backgrounds offer novelty, and a personal dimension that’s sorely missing in virtual meetings. Some organizations have also been promoting the use of standardized virtual backgrounds—typically a simple field featuring a logo—to offer a neutral, unifying backdrop for all participants. [A survey]( published in the Harvard Business Review suggests that we should ditch digital backgrounds for business meetings altogether. A majority of the 500 respondents polled by Quantified Communications said that they’d rather see the speaker’s actual surroundings, no matter how grave their domestic chaos might be. “This was surprising given the risk of accidentally showing your audience a pile of laundry or a wandering child appearing behind you,” the researchers explain. “But if you’re striving for authenticity, trustworthiness, or expertise, a blank wall or virtual scenic background do not offer much in the way of gravitas or sincerity.” Quotable “What you say is not as important as the bookcase behind you.” — [Bookcase Credibility](, Zoom background critic Reuters/Carlo Allegri Pop quiz What background does Eric Yuan, Zoom’s founder, like to use in virtual presentations? Picturesque vignettes of his hometown—Tai'an, ChinaHis kids’ artworkLandmarks from places where Zoom has corporate officesA plain blue field Correct. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. A boon for booksellers --------------------------------------------------------------- Virtual conferencing has been a blessing for independent booksellers. People are snapping up hardbound volumes in bulk, not necessarily for their reading pleasure, but for your viewing pleasure. A good mix of books adds “a patina of authority to their amateurish video feeds,” as [New York Times’s Amanda Hess]( puts it. Services like Wonder Books’ [Books by the Foot]( have been go-to sources for Zoomers scrambling to bolster their credibility. Wonder Books’ president [told Politico]( that since the pandemic his staff have become ersatz interior design consultants for homebound talking heads. “If your typical bookcase is 3 feet wide, and you just want to have the background from your shoulders up, then you might order 9 feet of history, or 9 feet of literature,” he explained. Brief history [1940:]( Special effects artist Larry Butler dazzles audiences with greenscreen technology in The Thief of Baghdad. [1964:]( AT&T holds a public demonstration of the first [video conference]( at the World’s Fair. [2016](: Zoom introduces virtual backgrounds. [2018:]( Microsoft debuts the “background blur” feature. [2020:]( Skype, Google, Microsoft, Webex, and Facebook introduce virtual background features for their video conferencing platforms. [2021:]( Zoom launches Studio Effects, a feature that lets users add zany face filters. What could [go wrong](? Zoom foregrounds --------------------------------------------------------------- The ring light—a face-flattering doughnut of light commonly used in portrait photography and YouTube makeup tutorials—has emerged as a crucial component of the remote work kit. First used by [dentists to peer into their patients’ mouths in the 1950s](, a ring light is a DIY solution to better video conferencing. Unlike a desk lamp that tends to cast harsh shadows, it creates a soft, even halo around the presenter’s face, which helps direct the audience’s focus. While it may seem frivolous, the virtue of good lighting is backed by science. A 2001 study [published in the Journal of Neuroscience](suggests that seeing poorly lit images induces the body to release melatonin, exacerbating feelings of sleepiness and boredom associated with [Zoom fatigue syndrome](. [Don’t just take our word for it](: Juliet Blake, TED’s head of television, assures, “not only is there no shame in good lighting, I’d say it’s essential.” Dept. of jargon [Apéro Zoom](: The French take on the [quarantini]( happy hour [Biz-leisure](: Work-from-home attire that exudes comfort and professionalism. Related: [Body mullet](and [infits]( [Bokeh effect](: The artistic effect achieved when blurring parts of an image [In Iso](: Aussie slang for “in isolation” [Smart-working](: English phrase that means “working from home” in Italy; see former PM Giuseppe Conte for a [pronunciation guide]( [Waghorning](: Promoting your own book by casually inserting it on the bookshelf behind you [Zoom-morphia](: Distorted and dispiriting reflected images of ourselves on Zoom calls Giphy take me down this 🐱 hole! "I'm not a cat" --------------------------------------------------------------- A default setting on Dell’s webcam is to blame for a lawyer’s Zoom cat-tastrophe. [The avatar](, which featured a Taiwanese kitten named Eldest Mouse, was introduced to compensate for the low resolution video in the early aughts. Poll How would you describe your current virtual conference background? [Click here to vote]( A plain wall—eyes on me please!Whatever’s going on behind me—who cares anymore?A carefully curated scene—go ahead, analyze itA stock image downloaded from the internet Amanda Berglund for Quartz Membership How happy is your home office? --------------------------------------------------------------- You know what they say—a home office is where the heart is. And if yours isn’t, perhaps you need to do a little reimagining. Our [Home Office Handbook]( will steer you in the right direction. You’ll need to be a member to read it, but we can steer you in that direction too. Click the button below to try it free for a week. [Try it out!]( 💬 let's talk! In last week’s poll about [rice cookers](, the carb wars were on. There was very little difference between the number of you who would choose rice, noodles, or potatoes as your only allowed carb for the rest of your life. Also, we had a record response rate. Our scientific conclusion: Carbs taste good. 🤔 [What did you think of today’s email?]( 💡 [What should we obsess over next?]( 🎲 [Show me a random Obsession]( Today’s email was written by [Anne Quito](, edited by [Liz Webber](, and produced by [Jordan Weinstock](. [facebook]([twitter]([external-link]( The correct answer to the quiz is Landmarks from places where Zoom has corporate offices. Enjoying the Quartz Weekly Obsession? [Send this link]( to a friend! Want to advertise in the Quartz Weekly Obsession? Send us an email at ads@qz.com. Not enjoying it? No worries. [Click here]( to unsubscribe. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States