Snippet: Pivot Back to Phone Calls ☇

M.G. Siegler:

Of course, a Zoom meeting is not a replacement for an in-person meeting at all. It’s something entirely different which we’re all pretending is an appropriate substitute. But it’s not. And what’s crazy is that the older technology — again, the phone call — is actually better as a fill-in for the in-person meeting, in most cases, I find. There are plusses and minuses, obviously. And your own mileage may vary. But I much, much, much prefer the phone call now to the Zoom call.

Freedom to move. Freedom to not be putting on some kind of visual performance. Freedom to not have to stare at a screen because the other person is staring at their screen.

The simple phone call has been lost in all of this, and generally there’s less issues with reliability or even the barrier for entry. I’m tired of the back-and-forth coordination/setup and then the performance aspect especially. It’s even worse when you’re in a situation where you can’t go audio-only.