Laura Miller’s article, “What the rise of Zoom reveals about how we talk to colleagues” is addressing the key question on how communication has drastically changed since coronavirus was reported around the world. The author contends that human beings are devising new forms of interaction and communication that will revive talking on phone unlike in the recent past. This phenomenon has been caused by health directives that require people to maintain self-isolation and social distancing in order to prevent the virus from getting out of hand. It means modes of communication are adapting to changes that require the idea of sharing messages while considering that human connection is fundamental for long-term survival. Therefore, connection is related to the key questioning the author is addressing which entails the rise of Zoom as an app of communication that is gaining popularity. Laura backs her assertions with evidence from other mediums of communication notably emails, daily calls and face-to-face interactions.
Consequently, the most important in this article is that of the central role that Zoom is filling in the absence of face-to-face communication that has become challenging because of restrictions of physical movement. It implies people are required to become more creative and innovative in their ways of interactions in the form of behavioural change. Laura goes ahead to argue, for example, that how employees and customers speak on their mobile phones is reflected by the data collected from Nielsen, an American research that has conducted studies in monthly texts sent on average by Americans in the last 13 years. Accordingly, the research attests that messages have dramatically surpassed phone calls with teenagers taking the lead in SMS communication. The author places phone calls at 213 against monthly texts which stand at 218 with the age bracket of most users being 13-17 years.
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However, there are various assumptions that emerge in the article that are worthy of consideration. For example, the author assumes that only teenagers are fuelling the communication revolution, especially that related to electronic media while ignoring the demographics that include adults and women who embrace phone calls at higher levels. Another erroneous assumption that Zoom application has superseded other modes of communication that include Slack, WhatsApp and emails. This argument is not grounded in fact because it does not take into consideration changes in communication etiquettes that continue to transform because of the coronavirus and technological advancements (Miller, 2020). Laura, therefore, stretches has assumptions without contextualizing the nuances of an increasingly changing environment which is influenced by both globalization and a new pandemic. She is also not aware of the market dynamics that determine factors of competition when it comes to messaging services used and enjoyed by teenagers, for example, in place of Zoom which she believes is going to be more popular.
Subsequently, the key fallacies that arise from the article are those of circular reasoning and straw man. In the former, Laura begins by asserting that Zoom as a popular mode of digital communication is transforming social interactions while ignoring the foundation for this fundamental shift. On the other hand, her straw man argument is predicated on the notion that since teenagers have been using messaging services that include WhatsApp and Facebook, then most likely they will migrate to new apps that promise them interactive sessions as they continue to maintain isolation and social distancing.
Reference
Miller, L. (2020, March). “What the rise of Zoom reveals about how we talk to colleagues.” Wired , n.p.
