I was on a Zoom call the other day and consistent with our organizational culture, it began with an icebreaker. We were each contemplating our responses when one participant offered to start saying, “I’ve gotten very good at sharing on Zoom without revealing anything about myself.” They said this boastfully, but it gave me pause. No one said anything in response to the revelation, glad (I suspect) to have a volunteer willing to start us off.
Our initiator did, in fact, respond sufficiently without giving us any real indication of how they were doing. Their opening statement stayed with me afterward, hauntingly.
I started thinking about the ubiquitous zoom cultures popping up around the globe and how zoom calls impact our sense of connection; our sense of self. Having now been part of numerous zoom gatherings, I feel simultaneously grateful and alienated by the experience. I want to feel connected, but when I click that red LEAVE MEETING icon, I’m left staring at the screen alone without any proof that what happened was real or meaningful.
Here’s what my colleague’s words evoked:
She revealed herself
slowly
one step at a time
Became adept
at answering
questions
without letting anyone know
who she is
What’s next?
she’d wonder
anytime a layer came down
anytime a tiny part of her
was exposed
Only to realize
she
Hadn’t
Revealed
Anything
At all
Keeping
in the shadows
No light
No sun
No water
led to a slow
certain
decay
Overtime
all
she was hiding
withered
Until the day
even she
forgot
who she was
Photo by Mohamed Hassan www.pixabay.com
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