tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/skype-88/articlesSkype – The Conversation2021-08-16T12:10:21Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1657792021-08-16T12:10:21Z2021-08-16T12:10:21ZWhy we missed hugs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415922/original/file-20210812-25200-1rcoxvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=52%2C26%2C3426%2C2294&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Not being able to hold and hug loved ones has been one of the more difficult parts of the pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/woman-hugs-her-friend-as-she-departs-at-hong-kong-news-photo/1234052378?adppopup=true">Alex Chan Tsz Yuk/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/great-grandmother-gets-to-hug-family-thanks-to-granddaughters-hug-time-invention/">Rose Gagnon</a> could not hug her grandchildren for several months.</p>
<p>Not being able to see and touch her loved ones every day because of COVID-19’s social distancing protocols was taking a toll on the mental health of the 85-year-old. Like many, she was feeling lonely and yearning for an emotional connection that had been hampered by the inability to embrace those most important to her.</p>
<p>That’s when Gagnon’s granddaughter Carly Marinaro devised an innovative solution in the form of a “hug time” device. Inside a frame made of PVC piping, Marinaro fashioned a see-through plastic barrier with two arm attachments, so that grandmother and granddaughter could share a hug while minimizing the risk of exposure to the coronavirus.</p>
<p>Like Gagnon, many Americans have missed the warmth of an embrace, the intimacy of a kiss or the calming feeling of holding someone’s hand. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its advice to stay 6 feet apart from others back in March 2020, that suddenly made affectionate touch a scarcity. </p>
<p>As a social scientist, I have been studying the communication of affection for over two decades. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/affectionate-communication-in-close-relationships/11E2FEBA4692A64EEBBEFFE8DD99C489">Affectionate communication</a> comes in many forms, and not all of them have been curtailed by the pandemic. Even with social distancing, people can still say “I love you.” They can also share affectionate text messages and social media posts – and thanks to platforms such as Zoom and Skype, they can see each other’s faces and hear each other’s voices. The one experience it has not been able to facilitate, however, is touch. Individuals cannot hug their grandchildren, kiss their friends, or hold the hand of a dying loved one via Microsoft Teams or Google Hangout.</p>
<p>What people have suffered during the pandemic is “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764021997485">touch hunger</a>,” a colloquial term for what social scientists call “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2016.1176942">affection deprivation</a>”, a state in which individuals want or need more affection than they receive. And here’s why that matters. </p>
<h2>Touch hunger impairs well-being</h2>
<p>Similar to regular hunger, touch hunger serves as an alert that something important is missing – in this case, the sense of security, intimacy, and care that comes with tactile contact. As people have taken pains to socially distance, many have discovered the sense of deprivation that can accompany the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10570314.2014.927071?casa_token=6ocREO8_tQkAAAAA%3AP8VgNx6VBV2f4yvIEVpjYjNJWhvNdHMgPt6t-wCih7KqideOtgbpxkVNdTrAjnegJ7ElVMo73c7q">lack of affectionate touch</a>.</p>
<p>Touch hunger is essential to well-being throughout our life span. Psychologist <a href="https://ruthfeldmanlab.com/">Ruth Feldman</a> has demonstrated that <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-14742-015">touch is instrumental</a> for healthy physical and cognitive development beginning in infancy. During adulthood, affectionate touch contributes to both psychological health and the body’s ability to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868316650307">manage stress</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10570314.2020.1850851">reduce inflammation</a>. </p>
<p>And among the elderly, affectionate touch can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2019.1626320">enhance calmness and responsiveness</a> for those suffering from dementia. Touch is so powerful, in fact, that even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.04.001">imagining touch</a> can reduce stress and pain, according to psychologists <a href="https://thecollege.syr.edu/people/faculty/jakubiak-phd-brittany-k/">Brittany Jakubiak</a> and <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/psychology/people/core-training-faculty/feeney-brooke.html">Brooke Feeney</a>.</p>
<p>When people feel deprived of touch, therefore, it is understandable that their well-being can suffer. Even in normal times, touch hunger is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10570314.2014.927071">greater stress, anxiety and loneliness</a>; <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2016.1205641">lower-quality sleep</a>; and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2016.1176942">reduced satisfaction and closeness</a> in romantic relationships. Add to that the restrictions on touch introduced by COVID-19 and it makes sense why so many are suffering. In fact, research has demonstrated that the benefits of affectionate interaction – including touch – are heightened during experiences of distress. </p>
<p>Biological psychologist <a href="https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/directory/karen-grewen/">Karen Grewen</a> and her colleagues have shown that hugging a romantic partner reduces the extent to which stressful situations <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08964280309596065">elevate blood pressure and heart rate</a>, whereas psychologist <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/psychology/people/core-training-faculty/cohen-sheldon.html">Sheldon Cohen</a> and colleagues found that hugging protects the body against the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614559284">stress of a viral exposure</a>.</p>
<h2>Responding to a lack of affectionate touch</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man shaking a dog's paw on World Animal Day in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2017." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For those missing human touch, sharing affection with pets can help.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dog-festival-and-competition-dedicated-to-world-animal-day-news-photo/870748348?adppopup=true">Oleksandr Rupeta/NurPhoto via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Not everyone needs the same amount of affectionate touch, of course, any more than everyone needs the same amount of food or sleep. Like many characteristics, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02170075">the need for touch</a> varies from person to person, according to communication scholars <a href="https://isearch.asu.edu/profile/39762">Laura Guerrero</a> and <a href="https://communication.sdsu.edu/faculty_and_staff/profile/peter-a.-andersen">Peter Andersen</a>. Some people are even what Andersen calls “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00990960">touch avoidant</a>,” meaning they often find interpersonal touch stressful instead of pleasurable.</p>
<p>Receiving touch can be uncomfortable for those with physical conditions such as <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/what-does-rheuamtoid-arthritis-feel">rheumatoid arthritis</a>, or mental health conditions such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.09.010">autism spectrum disorder</a>. People who have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19020212">traumatized</a> or sexually abused may also find touch to be triggering.</p>
<p>It is also worth noting that not all forms of touch are equally beneficial. Some perfunctory touches, such as a handshake, may be largely benign, whereas <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.01.003">aggressive or abusive touch</a> often precipitates long-term health detriments. </p>
<p>[<em>Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>For those who are missing touch, however, research suggests some substitutes. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341374">Sharing affection with a pet</a> has stress-alleviating benefits. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.06.012">Self-massage</a>, such as of the hands or neck, can have calming and pain-reducing effects. Even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/EMBC44109.2020.9175900">hugging a pillow</a> reduces the brain’s experience of stress. These are all imperfect substitutes, to be sure, but until COVID-19 is a memory, they may be useful for those suffering from touch hunger.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165779/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kory Floyd receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. </span></em></p>Lack of human touch can lead to greater stress, anxiety and loneliness – and that is what made the social distancing during the pandemic so hard for many.Kory Floyd, Professor of Communication, University of ArizonaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1358902020-04-14T20:49:39Z2020-04-14T20:49:39ZVideo chats can ease social isolation for older adults during coronavirus pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327039/original/file-20200409-72664-l363jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C512%2C5184%2C2933&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Video chats can ease social isolation for older adults. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Elien Dumon/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Older adults are one of the populations most <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html">vulnerable to COVID-19</a>. This vulnerability likely means they will probably have to engage in physical distancing for longer than the general population. </p>
<p>For these adults, staying social during this time, while maintaining a physical distance, is crucial. Even before COVID-19, <a href="https://www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org/blog/detail/professionals-blog/2016/04/08/loneliness-and-social-isolation-are-important-health-risks-in-the-elderly">older adult populations have been dealing</a> with <a href="https://www.welbi.co/single-post/the-dangers-of-senior-loneliness-and-isolation">the realities of social isolation and loneliness</a>. The isolation, however, has been highlighted and exacerbated with the coronavirus pandemic. </p>
<p>Before COVID-19, those of us in the field of geriatrics, have been trying to help create a culture of community to combat <a href="https://www.closingthegap.ca/guides/loneliness-in-seniors-understanding-its-impact-and-ways-to-help/">depression, social isolation and loneliness</a>. However, right now physical distancing is utterly necessary. </p>
<p>Physical distancing, however, does not mean we have to be disconnected. What can older adults do now to ease the distance?</p>
<h2>Video calls can help</h2>
<p>Older adults who used <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2018.10.014">video chat technology such as Skype had significantly lower risks of depression</a> than those who did not video chat. Video calls can help us all cope with this pandemic, and enhance the well-being of an older population moving forward.</p>
<p>Video calling platforms can help support the development of a <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/conscious-communication/202003/maintaining-relationships-while-practicing-social-distancing">stronger sense of connection</a> and maintain already existing relationships.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327033/original/file-20200409-72664-1cezv3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327033/original/file-20200409-72664-1cezv3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327033/original/file-20200409-72664-1cezv3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327033/original/file-20200409-72664-1cezv3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327033/original/file-20200409-72664-1cezv3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327033/original/file-20200409-72664-1cezv3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327033/original/file-20200409-72664-1cezv3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Video chats can help keep older adults emotionally present.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Adam Nieścioruk/Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Video calls keep older adults engaged and a part of their loved ones’ lives. They can still visit with their grandchildren, have that morning coffee with their friends and be virtually present for memorable moments like birthdays. It allows older adults to remain physically distant, but emotionally present.</p>
<p>Several accessible and free options are available such as: WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype, Zoom and more. These apps allow older adults to interact face-to-face with their loved ones. </p>
<h2>Technology is pervasive</h2>
<p>While some older adults have good access to technology, some will need assistance using it.</p>
<p>In a recent survey of communities in the United States, <a href="https://www.merckmanuals.com/en-ca/professional/geriatrics/social-issues-in-older-adults/older-adults-living-alone">90 per cent of older adults expressed their desire to maintain their independence</a>. In North America, almost 29 per cent of older adults live alone. Therefore, technology is essential more than ever to help ease the distance. </p>
<p>Luckily for some, technology is pervasive: in North America, 53 per cent of older adults <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/05/17/technology-use-among-seniors/">own a smartphone</a> and 26 per cent <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/814265/skype-users-in-the-united-states-by-age/">have Skype</a>. Statistics show that a third of the older adult population owns <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/05/17/tech-adoption-climbs-among-older-adults/pi_2017-05-17_older-americans-tech_1-04/">a tablet</a>.</p>
<p>While many have the means to connect with the outside world, roughly one-third of Americans over the age of 65 say that they never use the internet, and <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/05/17/tech-adoption-climbs-among-older-adults/">49 per cent say they do not have a home internet service</a>. </p>
<p>This makes it likely that many older adults will need some help with technology. If you are a younger family or community member, you can help. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327035/original/file-20200409-92027-bb973p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327035/original/file-20200409-92027-bb973p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327035/original/file-20200409-92027-bb973p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327035/original/file-20200409-92027-bb973p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327035/original/file-20200409-92027-bb973p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327035/original/file-20200409-92027-bb973p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327035/original/file-20200409-92027-bb973p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Younger family members can help with accessing technology.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Alexander Dummer/Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Donate spare phones</h2>
<p>When you are dropping off the essentials for any older adult, take a moment to remind them of the available apps on their phone that enable video calling. If someone does not have a smartphone, look for spare or old phones you could use to set them up with essential numbers and apps. </p>
<p>If they have not used an app before, recommend the one that you use the most so that your familiarity can assist them. If you both own Apple devices, we recommend using <a href="http://www.aliencodec.com/benefits-of-using-facetime/">FaceTime</a>. If you are trying to reach someone with an Android device, <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/what-is-whatsapp/">WhatsApp</a> or Google Duo might work well. </p>
<p>It may be hard to teach your loved one how to video call from a distance, and it may get frustrating. You can try to get help from a <a href="https://www.seniorstechservices.ca/">tech services company</a>. Patience is needed when teaching newer technologies, but it’s worth the effort, especially since, as the research shows, it can lead to long-term benefits.</p>
<p>Right now, we need human connection more than ever. Calling and texting helps, but a face-to-face connection, even virtually, can go a long way.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135890/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even before COVID-19, older adults were vulnerable to isolation and loneliness. Video conferencing apps can ease this. Here are some tips to help make that happen.Victoria Atabakhsh, PhD Student in Aging, Health, and Well-Being/RLS, University of WaterlooJoe Todd, PhD Student in Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of WaterlooLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1357992020-04-10T12:17:15Z2020-04-10T12:17:15ZVideoconferencing keeps people connected while the coronavirus keeps them inside – but privacy and security are far from perfect<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/326675/original/file-20200408-150164-wo6t5f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C1998&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Face to face, virtually.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/asian-woman-working-with-laptop-on-the-bed-royalty-free-image/1204226034?adppopup=true">SammyVision/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If, before COVID-19, you were concerned about all the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/28/all-the-data-facebook-google-has-on-you-privacy">data that technology companies had about you</a>, just wait. As stay-at-home orders push more professional and social activities online, it’s becoming harder to remain in control.</p>
<p>Look no further than Zoom, which suffered <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/31/21201019/zoom-coronavirus-privacy-hacks">dual security and privacy crises</a> in the past few weeks. Lawsuits alleging data sharing violations and hackers have descended on the software, which has led <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/zoom-every-security-issue-uncovered-in-the-video-chat-app/">Google and school districts to ban Zoom</a> for professional use.</p>
<p>I’m a researcher who investigates <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1461444818801317">how these concerns affect the use of online platforms</a>. The first thing to understand is that privacy and security are two different things, and they have different consequences for using videoconferencing platforms.</p>
<h2>Privacy versus security</h2>
<p>Privacy refers to individuals’ <a href="https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/">universal rights</a> to control their data. Security is how that data is protected. One or both can be compromised when using popular videoconferencing tools, leaving personal information vulnerable.</p>
<p>For example, say someone signs up for a new videoconferencing platform using full name, email address and phone number. Ideally, the platform company would maintain both privacy and security, meaning the company wouldn’t share that person’s information outside the company, and would keep their system protected from hackers and viruses. The most private platforms, like <a href="https://signal.org/">Signal</a> and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/facetime/id1110145091">FaceTime</a>, use end-to-end encryption to ensure that even the companies themselves do not have access to the contents of anyone’s communication. When such systems are kept secure, they are the best communication tools to use.</p>
<p>Alternatively, a company could compromise privacy but maintain security, meaning it would collect information about video calls and sell that data to a third party for marketing purposes. Many companies will include such conditions in their terms of service, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1486870">which users rarely read</a>. However, companies have incentive to maintain security; they don’t want to be overrun with criminals or pranksters, which could damage their reputations. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327021/original/file-20200409-122223-6hh2v4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327021/original/file-20200409-122223-6hh2v4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327021/original/file-20200409-122223-6hh2v4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327021/original/file-20200409-122223-6hh2v4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327021/original/file-20200409-122223-6hh2v4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327021/original/file-20200409-122223-6hh2v4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327021/original/file-20200409-122223-6hh2v4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Videoconferencing software mapped in terms of security and privacy protections.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Elizabeth Stoycheff</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Worst case is when a company surrenders both privacy and security, meaning they share personal information with third parties, and they <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/2019-data-breach-hall-of-shame-these-were-the-biggest-data-breaches-of-the-year/">fail to prevent data breaches</a>. Offerings from these companies are the riskiest of all digital tools, and unfortunately, they’re all too common.</p>
<p>Here’s how some of the most popular video conferencing services stack up.</p>
<h2>Videoconferencing options</h2>
<p>Zoom’s most updated <a href="https://zoom.us/privacy">privacy policy</a> states that the company “do[es] not allow third parties to use any personal data obtained from users for their own purposes, unless you consent.” However, Zoom is currently facing a lawsuit alleging that it violated this agreement and <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zoom-app-personal-data-selling-facebook-lawsuit-alleges/">shared user data with Facebook</a>. The company claims that this was a security, not a privacy, breach and that it was not compensated for data sharing. </p>
<p>Zoom has also come under fire for security flaws that have allowed “<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zoom-video-conferencing-feature-freeze-security-flaws/">Zoom-bombers</a>” to intrude on personal calls, often using profane or obnoxious content. The company admitted that it has <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zoom-video-conferencing-feature-freeze-security-flaws/">fallen short on protecting users’ privacy and security</a> and is working to fix the problems.</p>
<p>Microsoft Teams’ <a href="https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement">privacy policy</a> leaves no questions. It explicitly states that it “collects data from you, through our interactions with you and through our products.” It is upfront about using this information to market to users, personalize their experiences and even participate in legal investigations. In other words, make no presumptions of privacy here – all personal data on the platform is fair game.</p>
<p>To differentiate its security from Zoom, Microsoft’s Teams has implemented <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/sign-in-teams">dual-factor authentication</a>, meaning passwords are not enough. Users need to also enter email or text codes to log in. The Microsoft family of software – though not Teams specifically – confronted a number of security problems this year, including a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2020/01/22/microsoft-security-shocker-as-250-million-customer-records-exposed-online/#6b52e7eb4d1b">breach of its customer service center</a> that exposed 14 years of information. The jury is still out on whether it’s a more secure alternative to Zoom. </p>
<p>Unlike Zoom and Teams, Webex offers hosts the option of <a href="https://help.webex.com/en-us/WBX44739/What-Does-End-to-End-Encryption-Do">end-to-end encryption</a>, meaning only the sender of a message and its recipient have access to the data within. This is a strong privacy feature, but it’s elective and tends to limit the usefulness of the tool. </p>
<p>Webex is not immune to security breaches, but the difference between this company and their competitors is their transparency and quick patches. The platform actively maintains a <a href="https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/publicationListing.x?product=Cisco&keyword=webex&sort=-day_sir#%7EVulnerabilities">public list of vulnerabilities</a>, which documents how the company has resolved them. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327034/original/file-20200409-165427-jnt7sf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327034/original/file-20200409-165427-jnt7sf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327034/original/file-20200409-165427-jnt7sf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327034/original/file-20200409-165427-jnt7sf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327034/original/file-20200409-165427-jnt7sf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327034/original/file-20200409-165427-jnt7sf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327034/original/file-20200409-165427-jnt7sf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Zoom’s virtual waiting room, which prevents participants from joining a meeting without the host’s permission, is now on by default.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flickr.com/photos/pswansen/3063800085/in/photolist-5EJM2p-JPi3FZ-7t2yqf-8ZXGeW-2g3JYxh-eiVy7g-e4aj2K-myiYTZ-CmrmN-LavrPD-4SeE5A-9Fa1B7-CGE2MP-2hik4n2-28xqcvB-27ay7yw-zZVya-59uCCp-KUGD7U-5SS6g4-2biAdP8-ssKBF-25gDuEE-gqR2w-yJvxX-jP4Bw-8GtNWR-8ET3eb-8ESVQE-53xshM-7yuQFL-n79k9-8ET6e1-MaG4Q-GUP3p-GPp44-tLRgh-24GP516-EsqKvb-ps2H3X-Nfx8dX-nLDitH-b4PyCK-bgHNJT-dFrFn5-noXW3G-MBipMs-FfZEbr-4Y5poN-2gP6pLo">Paul Swansen/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Skype has a privacy problem. It <a href="https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/is-skype-safe-and-secure-what-are-the-alternatives/">shares user data</a> with third parties, across the entire Microsoft family, and even with law enforcement when asked. In a benign effort to improve customer service, it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/10/skype-audio-graded-by-workers-in-china-with-no-security-measures">allowed employees to access recordings of Skype conversations</a> from their personal computers over a period of several years. Such tasks have since been transferred to a secure facility, but it doesn’t change the fact that if you’ve used Skype lately, your privacy has been compromised. </p>
<p>Like Teams, Skype uses dual-factor authentication but it was also likely compromised in the <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/sign-in-teams">massive Microsoft customer service breach</a> earlier this year. </p>
<p>Long before Facebook acquired WhatsApp, the video chat service provided <a href="https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/android/28030015/">end-to-end encryption</a> on calls and messages. The privacy of chats here are, and always have been, protected. </p>
<p>However, WhatsApp suffered a very public security breach when Jeff Bezos’ personal messages were compromised by spyware and leaked. That was one of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-hack-whatsapp-disclosed-security-flaws-last-year-ft-2020-1">12 vulnerabilities</a> the platform faced last year. </p>
<p>Apple’s FaceTime also boasts <a href="https://www.apple.com/privacy/features/">end-to-end protections</a>, and the company has upheld its commitment to privacy by <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/25/468158520/why-apple-says-it-wont-help-unlock-that-iphone-in-5-key-quotes">refusing requests from the FBI</a> to access user devices. It’s positioning itself as a steward of user privacy.</p>
<p>Like other services, FaceTime has been susceptible to occasional security hacks. In early 2019, users reported a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/01/29/689581417/apple-disables-group-facetime-after-security-flaw-let-callers-secretly-eavesdrop">security glitch in its group calls</a> where recipients could hear and see callers before answering. The feature was disabled and patched, and the service has been without a major incident since. </p>
<h2>Settings and choices</h2>
<p>Across all these platforms, people should use complex passwords, turn on enhanced security features, like the use of <a href="https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115000332726-Waiting-Room">waiting rooms</a> and <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/manage-channel-moderation-in-teams">channel moderation</a>, and make sure conferences are restricted to intended guests. It’s also important to consider what can be seen on camera, like a loan statement pinned to a bulletin board or an envelope with a home address visible. Try videoconferencing in front of a neutral wall or using <a href="https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA34896/what-is-background-blur-in-skype">blurred</a> or <a href="https://office365itpros.com/2020/04/06/teams-meeting-background-image/">customized</a> backdrops to keep the home environment off camera. </p>
<p>There’s still room in the market for more reliably secure, private videoconferencing systems. But in the meantime, not all communication requires the same levels of privacy and security. People might not care much if marketers or even pranksters crash their G-rated happy hours. But confidential client meetings and remote health care consultations are another matter. The companies’ offerings and track records, outlined here, should help people choose the videoconferencing tool that best balances usefulness with privacy and security.</p>
<p>[<em>Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-facts">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.</a>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135799/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Stoycheff has received grant funding from WhatsApp, but it has not influenced the information in this article.</span></em></p>Zoom’s privacy and security shortcomings are just the latest videoconferencing vulnerabilities. Knowing each platform’s risks can help people avoid many of the downsides of virtual gatherings.Elizabeth Stoycheff, Associate Professor of Communication, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1353112020-04-03T05:03:43Z2020-04-03T05:03:43Z‘Zoombombers’ want to troll your online meetings. Here’s how to stop them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324883/original/file-20200402-74904-xa7m2f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C28%2C1876%2C1043&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">StanWilliams/Pixabay</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/style/zoombombing-zoom-trolling.html">Zoombombing</a>” in case you haven’t heard, is the unsavoury practice of posting distressing comments, pictures or videos after gatecrashing virtual meetings hosted by the videoconferencing app <a href="https://zoom.us/">Zoom</a>. </p>
<p>With hundreds of millions around the world now reliant on the app for work, this unfortunate trend is becoming more common, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zoom-bombing-calls-hacked-racial-slurs-pornography/">often involving a bombardment of pornographic imagery</a>.</p>
<p>In some cases, online trolls have crashed alcohol support group meetings held via the app. “Alcohol is soooo good,” <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/490467-zoom-deeply-upset-after-online-trolls-interrupt-virtual-aa-meetings">the trolls reportedly said</a> to one group of recovering alcoholics. </p>
<p>In another incident, a Massachusetts-based high school teacher conducting an <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/boston/news/press-releases/fbi-warns-of-teleconferencing-and-online-classroom-hijacking-during-covid-19-pandemic">online class</a> had someone enter the virtual classroom and shout profanities, before revealing the teacher’s home address. </p>
<h2>Easy targets</h2>
<p>The problem is that Zoom meetings lack password protection. Joining one simply requires a standard Zoom URL, with an automatically generated nine-digit code at the end. A Zoom URL looks something like this: https://zoom.us/j/xxxxxxxxx</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/working-from-home-risks-online-security-and-privacy-how-to-stay-protected-134599">Working from home risks online security and privacy – how to stay protected</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Gatecrashers may only have to try a handful of code combinations before successfully landing a victim. The meeting’s host doesn’t need to grant permission for others to join. And while hosts can disable the screen share function, they’d have to be quick. Too slow, and the damage is done. </p>
<p>Last week, Zoom upgraded security on its <a href="https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360041591671-March-2020-Update-to-sharing-settings-for-Education-accounts,">default settings</a>, but only for education accounts. The rest of the world needs to do this manually.</p>
<h2>Video conferencing is incredibly valuable</h2>
<p>Video conferencing technology has matured in recent years, driven by <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21202584/zoom-security-privacy-issues-video-conferencing-software-coronavirus-demand-response">massive demand</a> even before COVID-19. </p>
<p>With social distancing restriction, virtual meetings are now the norm everywhere. Platforms like Zoom, Microsoft’s Skype and <a href="https://www.uctoday.com/collaboration/video-conferencing/top-10-video-conferencing-providers-2019-whos-king-of-collaboration/">others</a> have stepped up to meet demand.</p>
<p>Zoom is a <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-is-cloud-computing/">cloud-based</a> service that allows users to freely talk to and share video (if bandwidth allows) with others online. Notes, images and diagrams can also be shared to collaborate on projects. And meetings can have up to <a href="https://zoom.us/pricing">hundreds, even thousands, of participants</a>.</p>
<h2>How to stop the trolls</h2>
<p>Zoom is primarily a corporate collaboration tool that allows people to collaborate without hindrance. Unlike social media platforms, it was not a service that had to engineer ways to manage the bad behaviour of users – until now.</p>
<p>In January, Zoom <a href="https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201361953-New-Updates-for-Windows">issued a raft of security patches</a> to fix some problems.
If you get a prompt from Zoom to install updates, you should – but only if these updates are from Zoom’s own app and website, or via updates from Google Play or Apple’s App Store. Third-party downloads may contain malware (software designed to cause harm).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-could-spark-a-revolution-in-working-from-home-are-we-ready-133070">Coronavirus could spark a revolution in working from home. Are we ready?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While up-to-date software is your first line of defence, another is to keep your meeting URL away from public forums such as Twitter. Anyone with meeting’s URL can join, after which they’re free to post comments, pictures and videos at will. If you’re hosting a meeting that gets Zoombombed, disable the “screen sharing” option as quickly as possible. </p>
<p>Another option for more security is to use the “waiting room” function. This makes people wanting to join visible to the host, but keeps them out of the main meeting until they’re allowed in. This option is turned off by default. You can enable it by signing-in to your Zoom account at <em><a href="https://zoom.us/">https://zoom.us/</a></em> and clicking “Settings”. </p>
<p>Other tips:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>ensure screen sharing is possible for the host only</p></li>
<li><p>turn off the function that allows file transfer</p></li>
<li><p>turn off the “allow removed participants to rejoin” setting</p></li>
<li><p>turn off the “join before host” setting</p></li>
<li><p>turn on the “require a password” setting for meetings.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XhZW3iyXV9U?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This video explains the ins and outs of setting up a safe Zoom session.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who are the trolls?</h2>
<p>With many Zoomombing attacks being on educational institutions, it’s likely a large number of these trolls are simply mischievous students who obtain meeting URLs from other students or chatrooms. </p>
<p>But zoombombing is by no means restricted to the classroom. With the world in lockdown, extremists of all kinds are finding ways to relieve their confinement frustration. We’ve known for some time that being able to operate anonymously on the web <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/who-is-that-the-study-of-anonymity-and-behavior">does not bring out the best in people</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dark-web-not-dark-alley-why-drug-sellers-see-the-internet-as-a-lucrative-safe-haven-132579">Dark web, not dark alley: why drug sellers see the internet as a lucrative safe haven</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>At present, it doesn’t appear Zoombombing is an organised criminal activity. That said, it’s probably only a matter of time before someone finds a way to leverage financial reward from the practice. This could take the form of business intelligence gleaned from listening in to the meetings of rivals and competitors, in a similar fashion to planting a “bug” in the room. </p>
<p>Similarly, we could see a black market for Zoom URLs emerge among professional hackers, who would have new incentives to hack various systems to obtain valuable URLs. </p>
<p>Cybersecurity experts, privacy advocates, lawmakers and law enforcement are all <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21202584/zoom-security-privacy-issues-video-conferencing-software-coronavirus-demand-response">concerned</a> Zoom’s default privacy settings don’t do enough to protect users from malicious actors. </p>
<h2>The bottom line</h2>
<p>As the COVID-19 pandemic leads the world to do their work online in isolation, the technology that allows this freedom must come under close scrutiny. </p>
<p>Zoombombing is progressing from a student prank to <a href="https://www.adl.org/blog/what-is-zoombombing-and-who-is-behind-it">more serious</a> incidents of <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/zoom-coronavirus-racist-zoombombing">racist, sexist</a> and <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/nazi-zoombombing-jewish-yeshiva-university_n_5e84f704c5b692780506d519?ri18n=true">anti-semitic</a> hate speech.</p>
<p>Fortunately, safeguards aren’t difficult to build into such videoconferencing technologies. This just requires a willingness to do so, and needs to be done as a matter of urgency.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135311/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Tuffley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>‘Zoombombing’ trolls have started to infiltrate virtual meetings - bombarding unsuspecting victims with racist and sexist speech and in some cases, pornographic imagery.David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1346552020-03-27T03:16:43Z2020-03-27T03:16:43ZSay what? How to improve virtual catch-ups, book groups and wine nights<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323475/original/file-20200327-132969-629al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7144%2C4723&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alex Dummer/Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tonight, for the first time in its 12-year history, my weekly boardgame group will meet online, instead of our regular weekly in-person sessions. Tomorrow night, a planned dinner with friends has been downgraded to sharing wine and cheese over Skype, something we are referring to as “facewine”. </p>
<p>COVID-19 isolation is bringing out the <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/the-funniest-coronavirus-jokes.html">bad puns</a> and forcing everyone to find new ways to socialise, organise and actualise. </p>
<p>In some ways, we have never been more ready for physical isolation. <a href="https://www.techradar.com/au/best/best-online-collaboration-tools">Tools</a> such as Zoom, Skype, Discord, Google hangouts and the myriad messenger apps mean that we already have the tools to stay “in touch”, even when actual touching is out of the question. But what happens when we meet in real life (IRL) is far more complex than <a href="https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Gricean_maxims">information transmission</a>. Given we are all bound to do our communicating online for a while, it’s worth revisiting some of the challenges this poses.</p>
<h2>Access</h2>
<p>One of the first principles of good communication is that everyone ought to be <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1365-2575.2003.00144.x?casa_token=CGYyHZdfwW0AAAAA%3AoEWmFBEbPw3VnwN6pNhPKpSAD_kQ4ikl2N7ak0LtowvPxw4Exj6HJEwAlrVWGYpz0H11aPNg9emV0M9rOw">able to participate</a>.</p>
<p>In some ways technology makes being a participant easier – there are no traffic or parking hassles to deal with. However there is still a digital divide, not only between those who have NBN fibre to the home and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/mar/13/coronavirus-and-the-nbn-will-your-broadband-be-up-to-speed-if-you-have-to-work-from-home">those that do not</a>, but also between those who understand how to use software and hardware and those that do not. Many people may need a lot of support to deal with passwords and unstable connections on older model “smartphones”. </p>
<p><strong>Solution:</strong> Most people these days can get online but it is a mistake to assume this is simple for all, and it is important to offer support and help when setting up meetings. Distribute guides and tips to your group well before you are due to meet and prompt them to make sure they can use the tech beforehand.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/B-AMUv_l63W","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<h2>Nonverbal cues</h2>
<p>Once online there’s likely to be more interruptions and awkward silences than you’d find in a real life conversation. It’s also more difficult to pick up conversational nuances and humour. </p>
<p>These problems arise because we are not as aware of each others <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/nonverbal-communication.htm">nonverbal cues</a> over video or audio link as we are in person. <a href="https://www.apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/nonverbal-communication">Nonverbal cues</a> or paralanguage to make up <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/books/chapters/0924-1st-peas.html">more than half our communication</a>. While a committed participant can pick up more body language, secondary sound and facial expression than a disinterested one, there is still a lot that is missed (light, position, relationality, smell and tone). In person, a sharp intake of breath might signal the speaker wants to say something. A shift in posture might indicate interest. </p>
<p>Similarly, cues are unlikely to be noticed by the whole group simultaneously and this disrupts the flow of conversation, particularly for novices who may find the experience profoundly unsettling. </p>
<p><strong>Solution</strong>: In the first instance, laugh at the problems, it’s part of the process and you’ll figure out new conversational patterns as you go. Emoticons, memes and emojis are <a href="https://www.intercom.com/blog/online-messaging-personal-embrace-nonverbal/">digital tools</a> devised precisely to overcome the lack of nuance in verbal communication. It can be useful to master a few symbols to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Helen_Wall2/publication/310457295_Emojis_Insights_Affordances_and_Possibilities_for_Psychological_Science/links/587e825308aed3826af460c5/Emojis-Insights-Affordances-and-Possibilities-for-Psychological-Science.pdf">overcome the lack of expressive engagement</a>, and emoticons are also a great way of engaging in what is being said verbally without really interrupting.</p>
<h2>Group dynamics</h2>
<p>Digital platforms are not great at facilitating conversational “breakouts” where large groups spontaneously separate into smaller groups holding different conversations at the same time. Unlike physical space, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042816316378">speakers are stuck</a> in a fixed position relative to each other. While many platforms allow you to facilitate break out conversations, there is no polite or spur of the moment way to coordinate them unless you <a href="https://www.bridging-the-gap.com/conference-calls-multiple-participants/">commit to them as a group</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Solution</strong>: Try to remain focussed on group issues and commit to catching up one-on-one at other times. Think about the many affordances of the technology, which can allow you to do more as a group. If you are talking about a wine, screen share some images of the vineyard or region it comes from; if you’re meeting for a book club maybe try to pre-arrange a Skype call with the author you are discussing, or a critic. Our games group will make the most of this by arranging an online session with old members who moved across the country years ago, something our traditional “in-person” games night did not allow.</p>
<p>Overall there is a lot we can’t share online (and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-tjwY9BlJA">some stuff we shouldn’t</a>) so we have to make more of an effort to share what we need to. It is particularly important to take extra care to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BdbiZcNBXg">be a great listener</a>. </p>
<p>Encourage engagement, ask questions and seek to really understand each other; be extra forgiving of frustrations and disagreements. Remember that communication is not just about transmitting information, it is about sharing experiences. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/B-M1Dq8Bqf8","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134655/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tauel Harper does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Virtual meetings, from work chats to reading groups, have become commonplace during the coronavirus pandemic. But if you’re finding communication feels different in this setting, you’re not aloneTauel Harper, Lecturer, Media and Communication, UWA, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1125822019-03-29T11:27:09Z2019-03-29T11:27:09ZThe dying art of conversation – has technology killed our ability to talk face-to-face?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266167/original/file-20190327-139349-13qj93w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>What with Facetime, <a href="https://theconversation.com/skype-hospital-appointments-are-coming-but-dont-hold-your-breath-109842">Skype</a>, Whatsapp and Snapchat, for many people, face-to-face conversation is used less and less often. </p>
<p>These apps allow us to converse with each other quickly and easily – overcoming distances, time zones and countries. We can even talk to virtual assistants such as Alexa, Cortana or Siri – commanding them to play our favourite songs, films, or tell us the weather forecast.</p>
<p>Often these ways of communicating reduce the need to speak to another human being. This has led to some of the conversational snippets of our daily lives now taking place mainly via <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-dont-want-ai-that-can-understand-us-wed-only-end-up-arguing-82338">technological devices</a>. So no longer do we need to talk with shop assistants, receptionists, bus drivers or even coworkers, we simply engage with a screen to communicate whatever it is we want to say.</p>
<p>In fact, in these scenarios, we tend to only speak to other people when the digital technology does not operate successfully. For instance, human contact occurs when we call for an assistant to help us when an item is not recognised at the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-shoplifters-justify-theft-at-supermarket-self-service-checkouts-97029">self-service checkout</a>.</p>
<p>And when we have the ability to connect so quickly and easily with others using technological devices and software applications it is easy to start to overlook the value of face-to-face conversation. It seems easier to text someone rather than meet with them. </p>
<h2>Bodily cues</h2>
<p>My research into digital technologies indicates that phrases such as “word of mouth” or “keeping in touch” point to the <a href="https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo3637992.html">importance of face-to-face conversation</a>. Indeed, face-to-face conversation can strengthen social ties: with our neighbours, friends, work colleagues and other people we encounter during our day.</p>
<p>It acknowledges their existence, their humanness, in ways that instant messaging and texting do not. Face-to-face conversation is a rich experience that involves drawing on memories, making connections, making mental images, associations and choosing a response. Face-to-face conversation is also multisensory: it’s not just about sending or receiving pre-programmed trinkets such as likes, cartoon love hearts and grinning yellow emojis. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266168/original/file-20190327-139374-fmlpic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266168/original/file-20190327-139374-fmlpic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266168/original/file-20190327-139374-fmlpic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266168/original/file-20190327-139374-fmlpic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266168/original/file-20190327-139374-fmlpic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266168/original/file-20190327-139374-fmlpic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266168/original/file-20190327-139374-fmlpic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Quicker and easier, but are we losing the human touch?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When having a conversation using video you mainly see another person’s face only as a flat image on a screen. But when we have a face-to-face conversation in real life, we can look into someone’s eyes, reach out and touch them. We can also observe the other person’s body posture and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37688404_Hand_and_Mind_What_Gestures_Reveal_About_Thought">the gestures they use when speaking</a> – and interpret these accordingly. All these factors, contribute to the sensory intensity and depth of the face-to-face conversations we have in daily life.</p>
<h2>Speaking to machines</h2>
<p><a href="https://sherryturkle.com/">Sherry Turkle</a>, professor of social studies of science and technology, warns that when we first “speak through machines, [we] forget how essential face-to-face conversation is to our relationships, our creativity, and our capacity for empathy”. But then “we take a further step and speak not just through machines but to machines”. </p>
<p>In many ways, our everyday lives now involve a blend of face-to-face and technologically mediated forms of communication. But in my teaching and research I explain how digital forms of communication can supplement, rather than replace face-to-face conversation.</p>
<p>At the same time though, it is also important to acknowledge that some people value online communication because they can express themselves in ways they might find difficult through face-to-face conversation.</p>
<h2>Look up from your phone</h2>
<p><a href="http://garyturk.com/portfolio-item/lookup/">Gary Turk</a>, is a spoken word poet whose poem Look Up illustrates what is at stake by becoming entranced by technological ways of communicating at the expense of connecting with others face-to-face. </p>
<p>Turk’s poem draws attention to the rich, sensory aspects of face-to-face communication, valuing bodily presence in relation to friendship, companionship and intimacy. The central idea running through Turk’s evocative poem is that screen-based devices consume our attention while distancing us from the bodily sense of being with others. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z7dLU6fk9QY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Ultimately the sound, touch, smell and observation of bodily cues we experience when having a face-to-face conversation cannot be fully replaced by our technological devices. Communicating and connecting with others through face-to-face discussion is valuable because it is not something that can be edited, paused or replayed. </p>
<p>So next time you’re deciding between human or machine at the supermarket checkout or whether to get up from your desk and walk to another office to talk to a colleague – rather than sending them an email – it might be worth following Turk’s advice and engaging with the human rather than the screen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112582/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melanie Chan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>No longer do we need to talk with shop assistants, receptionists, bus drivers or even coworkers, we simply engage with a screen to communicate whatever it is we want to say.Melanie Chan, Senior Lecturer, Media, Communication and Culture, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1098422019-01-17T11:16:14Z2019-01-17T11:16:14ZSkype hospital appointments are coming – but don’t hold your breath<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/253885/original/file-20190115-152977-u665zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1784%2C0%2C3173%2C2016&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/concerned-young-doctor-on-video-conference-388506685?src=07TOFSMsSH1eQKx-I0OrEA-1-12">Photographee.eu/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The NHS published in January its <a href="https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/nhs-long-term-plan.pdf">long-term plan</a> in which it promised to redesign services so that, by 2024, up to a third of hospital outpatient consultations would be undertaken by video link. The idea is that this will increase convenience, reduce costs and free up staff time for other tasks. But this aim is unlikely to be realised quite so quickly.</p>
<p>Yes, video consulting is no longer science fiction. The same technologies (Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp and others) that connect us with our friends and family can potentially connect us to our doctors, nurses, psychotherapists, pharmacists, dieticians and interpreters. Proof-of-concept examples (mostly in primary care) already exist and are gaining traction.</p>
<p>It is probably self-evident that not every patient, and not every clinical situation, is appropriate for a Skype consultation. That acknowledged, research from around the world <a href="https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:2e3fd354-bdab-4b25-9994-53734223a067">has shown</a> that patient satisfaction with video consultations is high and that when clinically appropriate (such as when there is no need for a physical examination), the quality and safety of care can be maintained.</p>
<p>At Barts Health Trust in London, we began to introduce video consultations in a single clinical service (diabetes) in 2010. We have been gradually extending the service ever since. Our <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5930173/">research suggests</a> that video consultations seem to have a more equal dynamic, with patients more at ease in their home environment and more confident to challenge the doctor or nurse.</p>
<p>But despite obvious benefits for the patient (no travel time, no parking costs, no need to navigate hospital corridors or sit in waiting rooms) and the NHS (no need for a fully-equipped outpatient room, less clinician time wasted while patients remove coats and get comfortable, lower heating and laundry bills, potential administrative savings), few readers of this article will have ever experienced a video consultation in the NHS. And for reasons we explain below, it may be a few years before that situation changes significantly. </p>
<h2>What holds up change?</h2>
<p>For one thing, both patients and staff are wary of change. People with the highest health needs are (<a href="https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:2e3fd354-bdab-4b25-9994-53734223a067">on average</a>) older, poorer, less well educated, less tech-savvy, less likely to have fast broadband at home and less likely to speak fluent English than the average person. All these factors are associated with lower willingness to try video consultations.</p>
<p>Patients may feel more secure – and better looked after – if they come to the hospital in person. The power of touch, for example, can be healing in itself. Staff, meanwhile, may be set in their ways, unable or unwilling to adapt their consulting skills to the virtual environment, or concerned about confidentiality (such as hacking) or the legal implications of a technical failure or missed diagnosis.</p>
<p>In addition, establishing video consultations as business as usual in an NHS hospital requires major logistical changes. Outpatient consultations, whether face to face or via video link, don’t just happen. Activities and routines are needed to book appointments, get hold of medical records, line up tests before or after, and send a letter to the patient’s GP. If some or all consultations are happening by video, a new supporting infrastructure is needed, and this takes time to get established. A service that is already financially stretched and working at full capacity may not have the resources, time or energy to shape a new set of routines.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/253887/original/file-20190115-152965-qyhcub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/253887/original/file-20190115-152965-qyhcub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/253887/original/file-20190115-152965-qyhcub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/253887/original/file-20190115-152965-qyhcub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/253887/original/file-20190115-152965-qyhcub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/253887/original/file-20190115-152965-qyhcub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/253887/original/file-20190115-152965-qyhcub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Does the idea of a video consultation thrill or depress you?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-person-video-conferencing-happy-male-792864508?src=FtdMsFR1H45VoheO03eRuA-1-21">Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The governance challenges are also substantial. Technologies dealing with sensitive data are subject to legal and regulatory restrictions when used in NHS organisations. Your doctor can download Skype onto his or her personal device without getting permission from anyone, but they can’t do the same on their NHS computer. Malware can spread rapidly through large organisational networks. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the payment system for hospital-based video consultations in England and Wales is not yet finalised. Whereas there has been an <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/pay-syst/national-tariff/">agreed national tariff</a> for face-to-face and telephone consultations for some time, the underpinning economic assessments needed to set a tariff for a video consultation have only recently been completed.</p>
<p>While video consultations may work out slightly cheaper in the long run, the short-term costs of offering such consultations will be high because of the set-up investment (new equipment, staff training and so on) and because the new service will initially be low-volume and run in parallel with the existing, conventional service. And if the tariff is set too low, there will be no incentive for hospitals to start seeing patients virtually.</p>
<p>So introducing video consultations in NHS hospitals, despite well-documented advantages to patients, is not likely to be easy, quick or cheap. The five-year target cited in the new NHS Long-Term Plan seems overly ambitious in the light of other countries’ experiences. Norway, for example, initiated a five-year programme to provide digitally-enabled hospital consultations in 2009. <a href="https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-016-1743-5">Research published in 2015</a> showed that despite generous funding and a strong policy push (which led to 75% of hospitals signing up to the initiative), the proportion of outpatient consultations conducted by video link was only 2% by 2013.</p>
<h2>Steady progress</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5930173/">our research</a>, we have documented, and begun to address, the multiple barriers to offering virtual consultations to patients with a range of different medical and surgical conditions and social backgrounds. We have set up a central support unit which provides expertise and templates for set-up planning and progress monitoring.</p>
<p>We are also supporting other hospital trusts around the country to address the challenges of staff and patient resistance, reconfiguration of organisational routines, information governance and payment. At the time of writing, the list of specialities and organisations using or planning to use video consultations is gradually increasing.</p>
<p>Video consultations are, broadly speaking, a good idea. They have the potential to save time and money and make clinical services more accessible (though perhaps not as radically as <a href="http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Health-Care-News/nhs-director-tells-doctors-to-use-skype-to-cut-thousands-of-unnecessary-hospital-appointments">some policymakers are predicting</a>). But the new staff roles and organisational pathways and processes needed to underpin such a service will not materialise overnight simply by issuing a top-down directive saying that patients must henceforth be “digitally empowered”. </p>
<p>The significant organisational impact of changing traditional outpatient models needs to be recognised and addressed. Video consultations and, more widely, technology-supported change must be adequately resourced, locally owned and aligned with the core principles of the NHS: to provide universal, evidence-based health care to everyone and reduce inequalities of access.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/109842/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Trish Greenhalgh receives a full-time salary from the University of Oxford and funding from the National Institute for Health Research, the Wellcome Trust, the Health Foundation and the European Commission. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shanti Vijayaraghavan receives a full-time salary from Barts Health NHS Trust and has received research funding from the National Institute for Health Research and the Health Foundation. </span></em></p>The NHS has promised that by 2024, up to a third of hospital outpatient consultations will be undertaken by video link. This is unlikely to be realised quite so quickly.Trish Greenhalgh, Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of OxfordShanti Vijayaraghavan, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Queen Mary University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/915532018-03-02T11:43:43Z2018-03-02T11:43:43ZShould you send a text or email? Here’s some advice from Aristotle<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208329/original/file-20180228-36706-1yckfd3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How should you communicate?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sintex/300497233/in/photolist-sy8mM-C17WxS-bFiepD-553iLt-KytvvQ-ca1mj-rmNEoE-6AgqWW-ohaoWW-4DyzYM-peBLUq-pxkVyU-vcMf8T-PFCer-nK1Yqw-8KjVXB-s5snJA-zrT9hQ-4VK1qy-KctgSv-zYxBx2-8YEyyn-4224nP-BHGoa5-S9zs5A-NmtHn2-mMnJYC-yiioaz-WK6AGA-xiVTnE-f6hjXr-q8ffws-aDQPz8-C24FK2-KfBRZM-TrEDNr-pEWyyT-roLS89-dfm8GA-cDNqkE-eWKEim-6J71xK-86YW5H-eAyu8T-dQCUqR-ecLpCP-qVTxsT-dL5iGs-bAXZm1-rFTY6g">Garrett</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Suppose you want to get in touch with a friend. Once, your options for doing so might have been sparse: pick up the phone or write a letter. But these days, you have to decide: Should you call or text, use Snapchat, or reach out on Twitter, Messenger or Skype?</p>
<p>Other considerations, whether it’s an old friend or new acquaintance, or whether you’re asking a favor or checking in, as well as your own conversational tendencies and preferences, could also factor in.</p>
<p>As an <a href="http://www.alexiselder.net">ethicist specializing in social technologies</a>, such questions interest me. These choices play a significant role in our lives. As anthropologist <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/anthropology/centre-for-digital-anthropology/people/#5">Stefana Broadbent</a> <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=FVcDAAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT106&dq=stefana+broadbent&ots=9px00gkk1G&sig=tfyTxgPJFDS6lJrIorNY1ho9VsA#v=onepage&q&f=false">observes</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“… an individual is now held morally responsible for which particular channel he or she employs. … People may be as incensed by the selection of an inappropriate medium for dumping a boyfriend or girlfriend as the fact that they have been dumped.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This fact was reflected in popular media (as when <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/21/chris-rock-curses-out-a-w_n_772107.html">Chris Rock cursed out a woman’s ex for breaking up via Facebook</a>), but it’s also a feature of our daily lives. </p>
<p>From asking a partner to pick up dinner on the way home to checking in on a neighbor with health problems, many of us frequently face the question: How should I communicate? </p>
<h2>Here’s how to think about the question</h2>
<p>I use a theoretical framework known as <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/">virtue ethics</a> to tackle such issues. Thinking about how communication channels both affect and express our character can help us make appropriate decisions in each circumstance.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208330/original/file-20180228-36686-1b04bxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208330/original/file-20180228-36686-1b04bxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=851&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208330/original/file-20180228-36686-1b04bxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=851&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208330/original/file-20180228-36686-1b04bxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=851&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208330/original/file-20180228-36686-1b04bxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1070&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208330/original/file-20180228-36686-1b04bxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1070&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208330/original/file-20180228-36686-1b04bxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1070&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aristotle. Line engraving by P. Fidanza after Raphael Sanzio.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AAristotle._Line_engraving_by_P._Fidanza_after_Raphael_Sanzio_Wellcome_V0000205.jpg">]Wellcome Images, a website operated by Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The core idea behind virtue ethics is that most of us want to cultivate traits (or virtues) that will help us live well. These virtues can be cultivated through repeated practice, but they can also be destroyed in the same way. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.iep.utm.edu/aris-eth/">Aristotelian virtue ethics</a> emphasize that people should try to <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/27743819">aim at the right amount of a trait</a>: Too much fear can make it hard to function, but too little will get them injured. What counts as the <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=jDl1u-RXoKgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">right amount</a> can vary based on context - warfare and child care may call for very different sorts of reactions. Nevertheless, some general guidelines can help us think about what kind of people we want to be, and how to get there.</p>
<p>We want to be generous, not selfish or servile. We want to be brave, not cowardly or rash. We want to be thoughtful, neither too impulsive nor overanalytical. We want to be empathetic, not callous, but not self-sacrificing. We want to be engaged rather than disengaged, but also not enmeshed with our loved ones. In each case, we aim for the virtuous middle by practicing to develop traits we want for ourselves.</p>
<h2>Reflect on the message and messenger</h2>
<p>Different communication channels can nudge us toward or away from different extremes. Communication channels like Snapchat and phone calls encourage spontaneity because, once delivered, the message disappears. Forms of communication that leave permanent records, like email <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10676-008-9160-z">encourage deliberateness and thoughtfulness</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208331/original/file-20180228-36696-kqsbtv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208331/original/file-20180228-36696-kqsbtv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208331/original/file-20180228-36696-kqsbtv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208331/original/file-20180228-36696-kqsbtv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208331/original/file-20180228-36696-kqsbtv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208331/original/file-20180228-36696-kqsbtv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208331/original/file-20180228-36696-kqsbtv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A phone call could encourage spontaneity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/uncoolbob/14131910518/in/photolist-nwMJDC-UVof5Q-EP2jxS-Zdcfpm-7UxDEE-bnqxhq-7hY5TA-8wEJ4i-gtxdc-ii5Bgk-6H8CEY-nz3nx-8sa7qd-Kf9ed-azeJAP-7jK8gt-8TZg4D-nSgEhz-4c4tjp-2486soT-JA5do-e1m8Ku-G7t57-4S5XQG-nodtX2-87uLL3-cpJmZb-dr8LMJ-Sd2WMp-bk7FuR-8dgS9U-21VfRhY-azMs2n-Dp7QEd-5Nd2oA-3HDYJE-RWQnHn-dfJJ4-o4NKAt-8vQZBZ-qTHvvw-7LKHEM-7kGGu9-4SxNUq-YgHWBA-ekV3AJ-5qyMnn-WH9gFs-2AU932-356dHB">uncoolbob</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>In general, public channels like Facebook posts tend to invite others to share the news and pay attention to us, while private messages can foster more individualized empathetic responses. Some formats, like email, allow one to compose a message at leisure, to revise and polish, encouraging many of us to slow down and reflect. Others, like phone and video chat that require real-time response, could help us be more spontaneous. </p>
<p>Use of images like memes, selfies and emojis can help us convey and engage emotionally, while textual communication can help emotions. Researcher <a href="http://www.mit.edu/%7Esturkle/">Sherry Turkle</a> <a href="http://www.reclaimingconversationbook.com/">interviewed a family</a> who argued via text message to help keep emotions from overwhelming their ability to give others a fair hearing, and express themselves clearly.</p>
<p>Several ethicists have raised concerns that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-014-0156-9">technology, by making things easier, can lead to de-skilling</a>. We could <a href="http://www.reclaimingconversationbook.com/">lose certain skills by failing to exercise them</a>. For example, I might lose the ability to listen patiently and empathetically if I always communicate by text, drifting in and out of the conversation as it interests or suits me. But I could also use communication technologies like training wheels: to practice the skills I want to exemplify in my life and repeatedly exercising them until they become second nature and are thus integrated into my character. </p>
<h2>What helps us be better people</h2>
<p>So, our choice of communication channel, then, should be guided by thinking about how it can help bring together our aspirations about the person we want to be, keeping in mind our character as it currently is.</p>
<p>If I know I tend to lose my temper in emotional conversations, arguing via text or email may help me slow down, reflect and reconsider what the other person is saying. Conversely, if I know I tend to coldly distance myself from others, I might opt to correct that by making a point of calling or video chatting. </p>
<p>If I tend to give in to pressure too easily, I might switch to a format like email that lets me consider a request before getting back to someone – not just to get around this tendency, but to practice saying “no.”</p>
<p>It’s tempting to try to pin all the blame on a technology. It can also be appealing to think that it will automatically improve our lives. But many technologies have both good and bad effects on us, and wise use will help maximize the good effects and avoid the bad. </p>
<p>Researchers who looked at the impact of cellphones on interpersonal relationships, for example, found that cellphone use among close friends and family had real positive and negative results. <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444811415047">Cellphone use</a> was implicated in users’ tendency to depend on each other. On one hand, this dependency was associated with increased satisfaction with the relationship. </p>
<p>But, on the other hand, cellphone use was also associated with reports of overdependence. The researchers reported some users feeling a sense of “entrapment,” and a sense of “guilt and pressure” to respond, which led to dissatisfaction in relationships. </p>
<p>It’s true that it is hard to choose the right communication channel because the issue is quite context dependent. But we can use some of these guidelines to think through our options. And in many cases, we can use technology to help us become the people we want to be.</p>
<p><em>Editor’s note: This piece is part of our series on ethical questions arising from everyday life. We would welcome your suggestions. Please email us at <a href="mailto:ethical.questions@theconversation.com">ethical.questions@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91553/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexis Elder does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From asking a partner to pick up dinner on the way home to checking in on a neighbor with health problems, we frequently face the question, ‘What’s the best way to communicate?’Alexis Elder, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Minnesota DuluthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/638832016-09-04T20:06:27Z2016-09-04T20:06:27ZCareful surveillance and pet wearables: at home with animals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135071/original/image-20160823-18737-jge4ri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world and increasingly, we're monitoring our pets' behaviour.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Williams’ residence in suburban Melbourne is home to three dogs and five humans. Life is often chaotic as each member of the household negotiates for space and attention. It’s one of many Australian homes where animals are an integral part of family and domesticity. </p>
<p>Over the past few months, parents Andrew and John tell us, the dogs have been misbehaving, damaging furniture and belongings while people are at work and school. Andrew has approached the situation by installing webcams and purchasing a pet wearable device called “Whistle” for his dog Tigger, a German short-haired pointer who he rightly suspects is the main culprit. </p>
<p>Whistle, <a href="http://www.wareable.com/internet-of-things/the-best-pet-wearables-trackers-and-gps-for-dogs-cats-and-more">according to its website</a>, “marries GPS tracking and pet wellness in one band”. Attached to Tigger’s collar, it connects to a smartphone app that allows Andrew to track and evaluate Tigger’s exercise, play and rest in real time. Whistle is part of a <a href="http://www.nbnco.com.au/blog/health/the-best-pet-wearables-trackers-and-gps-collars-revolutionising-pet-health-and-wellbeing.html">burgeoning pet wearable market</a> that is <a href="http://www.nbnco.com.au/blog.html">“revolutionalising pet health and wellbeing”</a>, according to one pundit. </p>
<p>While at work, Andrew can now keep a “friendly” eye on Tigger. He has developed a solution to the dogs’ misbehavior that involves locking certain rooms and providing particular play spaces to reflect Tigger’s daily rhythms. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135068/original/image-20160823-18728-1u0emdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135068/original/image-20160823-18728-1u0emdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135068/original/image-20160823-18728-1u0emdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135068/original/image-20160823-18728-1u0emdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135068/original/image-20160823-18728-1u0emdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135068/original/image-20160823-18728-1u0emdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135068/original/image-20160823-18728-1u0emdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135068/original/image-20160823-18728-1u0emdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Many pet owners are turning to GPS surveillance to better monitor their domestic companions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Our observations of the Williams family are part of a multi-city research project into domestic practices around digital media, mobile media and games. When we first began our research, we presumed we would focus on human practices and perceptions. But animals kept getting in the way. </p>
<p>Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with nearly five million households including <a href="nbnco.com.au">one or more pets</a>. As our work progressed, it became clear that humans and their pets are entangled in various forms of intimacy and kinship, often in digitally mediated ways. </p>
<p>We have observed (or heard tales of) cats playing with iPads and keyboards, of dogs watching television or participating in video calls. One of our Perth participants Anna describes how she frequently Skypes with her Blue Heeler Abby (with her partner’s help) when she’s away on work trips.</p>
<p>Abby will paw the laptop in anticipation of the evening call when Anna is absent; she gets excited, wags her tail, “talks” and presses her nose against the screen. It is quite well known that some dogs “see” screens while some don’t, Anna says, as she shows us the many YouTube videos people have uploaded of their skyping dogs. </p>
<p>As the size of technology shrinks, wearable devices have become hugely popular, from iPods to fitbits. Spurred by the <a href="http://quantifiedself.com">Quantified Self (QS) movement</a> (the use of self-tracking apps and wearables to monitor biometrics and improve daily functioning) and <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/28/gamification/#sJRpn1eJ2uq0">gamification</a>, global shipments of wearable devices are expected to reach <a href="https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS41100116">110 million annually by the end of 2016</a>. Pet wearables are now worth $2.62 billion a year of this global market and the Australian market is <a href="https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/pet-wearable-market">tipped to grow</a>. </p>
<p>Pet wearable devices enable surveillance and tracking through devices such as Pod 2, Buddy, WÜF and Nuzzle; monitoring of heart-rate and sleep patterns (Inupathy, PetPace) and may feature geofencing capability and virtual boundary alert systems that let owners know when their pet wanders too far (eg DogTelligent). </p>
<p>Pet owners can “gamify” their pet’s exercise with a reward system and leaderboard that ranks their results compared to other pets. They can download an augmented reality app that sees through obstacles such as furniture to locate their pet. Or they can record and vicariously experience their pet’s perspective and movement remotely via wearable cameras.</p>
<p>As we explored Andrew’s problem-solving strategies further, it became clear that he had gleaned a complex sense of Tigger’s character and behaviour in the home when humans were at work. Andrew explained that particular rooms, couches and beds had different associations for Tigger (for example, he would retreat to the main bedroom when anxious). Through tracking Tigger, he said, he had gained a deeper sense of his pet’s moods.</p>
<p>Pet wearables and monitoring systems are also implicated in an ethics of care and surveillance. They originate from a genealogy of care that engages paradoxical notions of constraint and guardianship. Indeed, our relationship with domestic animals is often fraught with ambiguity; pets are both nature and culture, instinctual and social, controlled yet nurtured, at the same time possessions and companions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135077/original/image-20160823-18708-1tmf2b3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135077/original/image-20160823-18708-1tmf2b3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135077/original/image-20160823-18708-1tmf2b3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135077/original/image-20160823-18708-1tmf2b3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135077/original/image-20160823-18708-1tmf2b3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135077/original/image-20160823-18708-1tmf2b3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=611&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135077/original/image-20160823-18708-1tmf2b3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=611&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135077/original/image-20160823-18708-1tmf2b3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=611&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">GPS trackers can helps us gain a deeper understanding of our pet’s moods and behaviour.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Our kinship with domestic animals is deeply informed by what we might call “careful surveillance”, either within the domestic sphere as we observed in the Williams household, or away from home.</p>
<p>For instance another study participant, Paul, and his beagle Millie often go for walks together. But Paul told us he worried about Millie wandering off, and so had avoided going for walks at night. Then he purchased a <a href="http://www.halobelt.com/buy-led-safety-belt/halo-mini-led-dog-collar">Halo Belt</a> for Millie, which lit up at night. It meant he could always find her in the dark and lessen the chance of her scaring other people in the park, such as night joggers. </p>
<p>The term “careful surveillance” refers to our emotional bond with domestic animals, our protective concern and love for our pets. But surveillance must also be a “careful” practice, in terms of its effects upon both human and animal. </p>
<p>As we increasingly involve our pets in the gamification and quantification of everyday life - assisted by new technologies - we should reflect on the relationship between concern and control.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63883/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Larissa Hjorth receives funding from Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery program. Hjorth, Richardson and Balmford are part of an ARC Discovery, Games of Being Mobile, which looks at mobile games as part of Australian household media practices.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ingrid Richardson receives funding from an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grant, Games of Being Mobile.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>William Balmford receives funding from Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery program. Hjorth, Richardson and Balmford are part of an ARC Discovery, Games of Being Mobile, which looks at mobile games as part of Australian household media practices.</span></em></p>Australians are keen pet owners and increasingly, we’re monitoring the behaviour of our domestic animals. Webcams, GPS tracking, dogs joining Skype calls … pets are becoming entangled with technology in myriad ways.Larissa Hjorth, Professor of Mobile Media and Games, RMIT UniversityIngrid Richardson, Associate Professor in Digital Media, Murdoch UniversityWilliam Balmford, Research Assistant & PhD Candidate in Digital Ethnography, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/514922016-04-22T02:44:11Z2016-04-22T02:44:11ZIs online therapy as good as talking face-to-face with a clinician?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116698/original/image-20160329-13688-uci5db.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">While technology is not always a replacement, it can offer increased choice and flexibility.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-131076914/stock-photo-working-from-home-man-relaxing-in-bed-using-digital-tablet-close-up-on-male-foots-in-socks.html?src=HsCUuyqfIi6idVMlzpVXLA-4-44">Nadezhda1906/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Smartphones, tablets and computers are increasingly expanding the availability of health services. This means we can access help anonymously at a time and place that suits us.</p>
<p>Currently, only about <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/mental-pubs-m-mhaust2">one-third</a> of people with mental health difficulties obtain help. While there are various reasons for this, practical factors such as availability of health professionals and travel, time and financial restrictions <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17325109">may limit access to mental health care</a>. </p>
<p>People may also be reluctant to seek help, either because of concerns about the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21192795">stigma</a> attached to mental illness or because of a preference to self-manage symptoms. </p>
<p>While technology is not always a replacement for face-to-face treatment for mental health difficulties, it can offer increased choice and flexibility. It may also motivate some people to take that first step in seeking help.</p>
<p>Let’s explore the benefits and downsides of technology-delivered care – and where you can go for help.</p>
<h2>First, what is digital mental health care?</h2>
<p>Digital mental health treatment often involves working your way through a structured, online program based on standard, evidence-based psychological treatment methods. </p>
<p>Many are based on <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-cognitive-behaviour-therapy-37351">cognitive behaviour therapy</a> (CBT), whereby you learn to identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that contribute to your symptoms.</p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-cognitive-behaviour-therapy-37351">Explainer: what is cognitive behaviour therapy?</a></p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>Some web-based treatment programs are designed to be done entirely on your own. Others can be done with support from a health professional, usually via a weekly email. In some cases, telephone, online chat or face-to-face assistance is provided.</p>
<p>There are also digital mental health services delivered via video-conferencing software. This involves talking with a health professional face-to-face but via video rather than in person. </p>
<p>Some types of video-conferencing services involve going into your local community health service and using their video-conferencing equipment to communicate remotely with a specialist. Others can be used from home using downloaded software or software provided directly by a digital mental health service.</p>
<h2>Why provide mental health care over the internet?</h2>
<p>Digital mental health services offer more choices and greater flexibility in how we get help. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116707/original/image-20160330-28472-lg1vc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116707/original/image-20160330-28472-lg1vc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116707/original/image-20160330-28472-lg1vc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116707/original/image-20160330-28472-lg1vc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116707/original/image-20160330-28472-lg1vc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116707/original/image-20160330-28472-lg1vc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116707/original/image-20160330-28472-lg1vc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some web-based programs are done with support from health professionals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-320894699/stock-photo-young-beautiful-hipster-sporty-blonde-woman-in-town-sitting-on-a-bench-using-a-smartphone-looking.html?src=NOyVkY49DElIn0g5HYAxrg-1-43">Eugenio Marongiu/shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Some people are uncomfortable opening up to a health professional face-to-face; they prefer the anonymity of online assistance. </p>
<p>Where email communication with a health professional is involved, we can take our time to read and respond to emails. </p>
<p>A number of the services are freely available and there are no added travel costs. For some people, especially those in remote areas, no other mental health services are accessible to them.</p>
<p>Technology can also be used to <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21382535">supplement face-to-face care</a>. A person might see a health professional face-to-face and use a digital mental health service in between sessions. Websites and apps may also be a tool to facilitate discussion in sessions or for a person to monitor their symptoms. </p>
<h2>Is it effective?</h2>
<p>There is strong evidence that psychological therapy, particularly cognitive behaviour therapy, can be effectively delivered online to treat a range of mental health difficulties. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25273302">In some research trials</a>, online therapy has been found to be as effective in reducing symptoms as therapy delivered face-to-face by a clinician. Evidence is particularly strong that <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0026877">anxiety, stress and depression</a> can be treated online. </p>
<p>Research suggests that online therapy, including <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18289829">via email</a> and <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03069880902957007">video conferencing</a>, can result in client satisfaction with both the therapy and the quality of their relationship with the therapist that is similar to levels of satisfaction with face-to-face therapy.</p>
<h2>Who isn’t it suitable for?</h2>
<p>Digital mental health services are not for everyone. Some people prefer the in-person dialogue with a health professional and some types of therapy rely on that rather than the use of structured treatment materials.</p>
<p>Some people don’t feel confident about using computers or other technology, so trying to navigate a digital service may increase their anxiety levels. </p>
<p>Online treatment is generally less suited to more severe forms of mental illness, such as psychosis. But there are emerging developments in using technology in severe mental illness treatment, such as the use of iPads to use website resources within face-to-face therapy sessions with <a href="http://healthtimes.com.au/hub/mental-health/37/research/kk1/a-smart-resource-for-mental-health-recovery/829">clients with psychosis</a>.</p>
<p>Online treatment tends also to be less effective with largely physical problems rather than those related more to emotions, thoughts and behaviours, but again there are exceptions to this. Many physical health conditions, such as <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21953578">cancer</a>, have a psychological impact, which internet-based therapy can be effective in helping people cope with.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116713/original/image-20160330-28483-10y2hjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116713/original/image-20160330-28483-10y2hjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116713/original/image-20160330-28483-10y2hjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116713/original/image-20160330-28483-10y2hjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116713/original/image-20160330-28483-10y2hjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116713/original/image-20160330-28483-10y2hjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116713/original/image-20160330-28483-10y2hjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Online services may help overcome some people’s reluctance to seek help.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-226751977/stock-photo-young-teen-in-front-of-a-laptop-computer-and-on-a-bed-photo-of-a-young-teen-in-front-of-a-laptop.html?src=HsCUuyqfIi6idVMlzpVXLA-4-41">junpinzon/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Digital mental health services are generally less suitable for people experiencing an immediate crisis. But, in some cases, an online service may be the only way a person is willing to reach out for help. </p>
<p>People dealing with multiple mental health problems can often benefit more from a more personalised face-to-face approach – though web-based programs that tailor treatment to the individual’s reported symptoms are available.</p>
<h2>What are the disadvantages?</h2>
<p>Despite their benefits, digital mental health services have some disadvantages over face-to-face treatment. </p>
<p>Services that involve only written communication, by email or online chat, don’t enable the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0026877">face-to-face visibility</a> for the client and therapist to notice body language and tone-of-voice cues. This can increase the chances of misunderstandings occurring.</p>
<p>Digital services can also require a fair amount of self-motivation for the client to make the time to work through self-help materials.</p>
<p>While digital mental health services such as those funded by the federal Health Department are freely available, there are also challenges to health professionals being able to offer digital services at a low cost as there are no Medicare rebates for online psychological services in Australia.</p>
<p>There may be concerns about <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15228830802097257#.VrFAQLJ96Uk">how secure and confidential</a> personal information entered online is. Using technology for health reasons requires thinking differently about security than you may be comfortable with for social reasons. </p>
<h2>How to find good-quality services</h2>
<p>Australians can currently access about 100 online mental health programs. A number of web resources can help you learn about what programs, apps and other digital resources are available and how they operate:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="http://www.mindhealthconnect.org.au/">mindhealthconnect</a> provides information about and links to websites, apps and online communities from leading Australian health organisations.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://beacon.anu.edu.au">Beacon</a> describes and rates the quality of evidence behind national and international online mental and physical health resources (including apps, websites and online support groups).</p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://au.reachout.com/sites/thetoolbox">The Toolbox</a> details mobile apps that have been endorsed by health professionals and young people.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>A number of online mental health clinics offer a range of programs and guide you into the program suitable for you. These include <a href="https://mindspot.org.au/">MindSpot Clinic</a>, <a href="https://thiswayup.org.au/">This Way Up</a>, <a href="https://www.mentalhealthonline.org.au/">Mental Health Online</a> and the <a href="https://www.fedehealth.org.au/ehealth-programs-currently-available/">Federation eHealth Platform</a>.</p>
<p>Examples of mobile apps focused on mental health include <a href="http://smilingmind.com.au/">Smiling Mind</a>, which teaches mindfulness; <a href="http://sam-app.org.uk/">SAM: Self-help for Anxiety Management</a>, which helps you understand and manage anxiety; and <a href="http://www.findingoptimism.com/">Optimism</a>, which uses mood monitoring to help you manage mental health difficulties, including depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety.</p>
<p>You can also ask your doctor or a psychologist if he or she can recommend any digital mental health services.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51492/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jo Abbott is the Deputy Director (Acting) of the Mental Health Online service which is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. </span></em></p>Smartphones, tablets and computers are increasingly expanding the availability of health services. This means we can access help anonymous at a time and place that suits us.Jo Abbott, Research Fellow / Health Psychologist, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/375532015-02-14T13:55:26Z2015-02-14T13:55:26ZOur digital lives mean memories and life online can continue even after death<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/71994/original/image-20150213-13226-ojffb1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Life online can continue even after the real life version ends.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">scyther5/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So said Kevin Arnold in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094582/">The Wonder Years</a>. Now that we spend so much time online, our digital lives have become extensive: trails of memories on the web of what we’re doing, where, and who we’re doing it with. And these posts will still be visible for many years to come, outliving the events that inspired them – and even those who posted them. </p>
<p>Unfortunately the management of this data is complicated. The online platforms we use – Facebook, Twitter, Google and so on – own the data we generate while using them. Getting control of it can be difficult – this is why Facebook has just outlined its <a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/02/adding-a-legacy-contact/">Legacy Contact</a> feature in the US. Similar to Google’s <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-04/13/inactive-account-manager">Inactive Account Manager</a>, it lays out who can control accounts after their owner’s death, returning some control over their data to those mourning their loss.</p>
<p>Data can be difficult in life as well as in death. Valentines’ Day will no doubt bring forth torrents of loved-up tweets, cosy Instagram shots from romantic weekends away, wedding proposals posted to YouTube, and more changes to Facebook relationships statuses than you can shake a stick at. And let’s not forget instant chat either, with <a href="http://gizmodo.com/do-you-have-skype-sex-1684081413">Skype</a> and <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/did-snapchat-just-accidentally-monetize-nudes">Snapchat</a> allowing lovers who are apart this weekend to be intimate through more inventive means.</p>
<p>Such digital displays of affection provide us with a glimpse of how social networks can easily become folded into our love lives, as it’s often through technology – mobile phones, tablets and laptops – that we choose to demonstrate our love. In doing so we produce lots of data that, intentionally or not, documents and augments our memories.</p>
<p>There are websites and apps that promise to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/07/-sp-10-best-dating-apps">help singletons meet</a> that special somebody, and others which aim to <a href="http://androidheadlines.com/2014/10/featured-top-10-best-android-apps-couples.html">help couples stay together</a>. Social networks in particular have become <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7734308/Lovestruck-man-uses-Facebook-to-track-down-girl-he-met-on-train.html">entangled in our unfolding relationships</a>, documenting, planning and helping us record memories. But it’s important to remember that this can sometimes have unforeseen consequences.</p>
<h2>Making and breaking relationships</h2>
<p>Social networking is notorious for <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/social-media-the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-relationships-since-well-anything">causing relationship problems</a>. Facebook and Twitter have been known to facilitate emotional affairs and aid acts of <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/03/back-up-husbands-emotional-affairs-and-the-rise-of-digital-infidelity/">digital infidelity</a>. A University of Missouri study in 2014 suggested that using Twitter could eventually become a cause for divorce between some couples. Likewise, a law firm recently noted that Facebook was cited in <a href="http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2013.0570?journalCode=cyber">more than a third of divorce cases</a> it examined.</p>
<p>The fallout from the data created by our digital activities can come back to cause us haunt us too: salacious search histories, banking logins that hide assets, or emails that reveal secret trysts. “Liking” your ex’s latest status update, or favouriting the tweet of an attractive colleague, might be more trouble than it’s worth. The recent viral video of two office workers caught in a <a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/christchurch-office-sex-caught-on-camera-from-busy-bar-across-the-road/story-fnet0gt3-1227205697002">compromising late night rendezvous</a> by bystanders serves as a warning that the data other people create about us can become just as troubling as that which we create ourselves. </p>
<p>The snapshots and short videos of their encounter spread rapidly across social media, with the footage itself the first to reveal to a shocked wife that her husband was involved in a – very public – affair.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/71998/original/image-20150213-13192-kkvkcu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/71998/original/image-20150213-13192-kkvkcu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71998/original/image-20150213-13192-kkvkcu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71998/original/image-20150213-13192-kkvkcu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71998/original/image-20150213-13192-kkvkcu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71998/original/image-20150213-13192-kkvkcu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71998/original/image-20150213-13192-kkvkcu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Highlights and low-lights of life online.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Leigh Prather/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Keepsakes that linger</h2>
<p>So the paperless paper trail of data we leave behind us is unlike traditional tokens of affection that we accumulate throughout our lives. Unlike a box of photos or mementos, we are neither usually aware of the huge volumes of data that exist about us and our relationships, nor are we in control of it.</p>
<p>And it’s most clearly when the relationship cools that this data becomes visible as the vast collections of photos, status updates, videos, playlists, chat histories, emails text messages suddenly taking on a different perspective; haunting, mocking, reminding us of love lost.</p>
<p>It can prove difficult, if not impossible, to untangle ourselves from this data, and make the decision of whether to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/breaking-up-in-the-digital-age-is-difficult-study-says/">hold on to it, or try delete it</a>. It can often return to haunt us, for example through acts of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/jan/21/naked-pictures-this-is-what-i-did-revenge-porn-emma-holten-video">online harassment</a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/29596583">revenge porn</a> – when explicit images live on beyond the life of the relationship that spawned them, much to the distress of those involved.</p>
<p>Yet there is an upside to our digital legacies, too: they provide a fascinating insight into contemporary lives, and allow us to look back and reminisce easily. They can become a positive focus for overcoming and living with loss – both the loss of love, or of very close relationships with friends and family who have died, with their trail of data becoming a trove of treasured memories. </p>
<p>Maybe this Valentine’s Day we need to keep in mind the words of the author Brodi Ashton: “Remembering is easy. It’s forgetting that’s hard.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37553/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Selina Ellis Gray is based in Lancaster University's Highwire - a Centre for Doctoral Training focusing on the Digital Economy which is funded by the Research Councils UK Digital Economy Programme.</span></em></p>Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. So said Kevin Arnold in The Wonder Years. Now that we spend so much time online, our digital…Selina Ellis Gray, PhD Candidate, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/359232015-01-13T06:10:54Z2015-01-13T06:10:54ZNow Skype can translate for us, what’s the point in learning a language?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68690/original/image-20150112-23804-3yd4gf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">No hablo español. And it doesn't matter. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-180758705/stock-photo-lisbon-portugal-march-photo-of-skype-homepage-on-a-monitor-screen-through-a-magnifying.html?src=csl_recent_image-1">Skype via Gil C/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>New technology has the habit of making certain professions redundant. <a href="http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/politics/g3/">Power looms put cotton workers</a> out of job, leading to the rise of the Luddites. Word processors put an end to the typing pool. Now free, computerised translation services could put the language teaching profession under threat. </p>
<p>In December, <a href="http://www.skype.com/en/translator-preview/">Skype unveiled a tool it is developing</a> that promises to interpret spoken languages in real time over its video-conferencing interface. At present, it only works between Spanish and English and is certainly nowhere near perfect. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30531119">demonstration on the BBC</a> is not mindblowing. The two people are not having a real time conversation for starters. One person speaks, the system provides a translation, and then the other person answers – it’s very slow, and often produces gibberish. </p>
<p>My very poor Spanish has noticed that the system takes “What is your cat called?” and translates it as “Your cat is so cold”. But it’s not hard to see that an improved version of this could provide a much more seamless translation.</p>
<h2>Instant translation at your fingertips</h2>
<p>And Skype is not alone. An app called <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.questvisual.wordlens.demo&hl=en">Word Lens</a> will translate signs and menus in situ. You point your phone at the menu, and it will (in theory) show you the translation as augmented reality, as you look through the screen in real time. Again, the quality of the translation is not perfect and the number of languages serviced is small – but it’s not hard to see where this could go in the future. Why would I take an evening course in Spanish to help me read menus on my holidays, when I can use this?</p>
<p><a href="https://translate.google.co.uk">Google Translate</a> is also free to use, available on a variety of platforms and based on a vast database of languages. It can handle 90 languages – and <a href="http://googletranslate.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/breaking-down-language-barriersix-years.html">according to Google in 2012</a>, the system translated more one million books’ worth of text in a day. It is not hard to envision a future where this can be combined with wearable technology – a system that can provide reliable, clear and simultaneous translation of voice and text for free to anyone with the hardware and a fast enough web connection. </p>
<p>Working on the assumption that machine translations will become faster and better, and that it will remain free to use, this leads to a variety of consequences – especially at university level.</p>
<h2>Impact on universities</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68691/original/image-20150112-23782-b5ehh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68691/original/image-20150112-23782-b5ehh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68691/original/image-20150112-23782-b5ehh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68691/original/image-20150112-23782-b5ehh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68691/original/image-20150112-23782-b5ehh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68691/original/image-20150112-23782-b5ehh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68691/original/image-20150112-23782-b5ehh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What would this change?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-114096775/stock-photo-translate-computer-key-in-blue-showing-online-translator.html?src=n2XukHPxYuc9CV3Q7mhg2w-1-22">Translate button via scyther5/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most English-speaking universities have <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-write-english-like-a-professor-dont-rely-on-google-translate-27251">departments providing preparatory English courses</a> and support programmes for foreign students. In a world where a student could automatically translate lectures and text books, and also have their own writing translated into English, the expense and effort of learning English – or any other language – may become redundant. </p>
<p>Students are very likely to be aware of the shortcomings of translation technology – but also of the shortcomings of their own writing. It is not about whether the translation is perfect or not – it is about whether it is <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S088949061400060X">better than what the student can produce without it</a>. If I needed to write to a French speaker, I know that the Google software is highly likely to produce better French than I can. If the writing were high stakes, like most university writing is, I would be more tempted to use a translation engine. I have more faith in Google than my own French.</p>
<p>But translation software cannot turn a poorly organised piece of writing into a well-organised one. It cannot turn a poorly justified argument into a well-supported one. It can only work at the level of the sentence – it cannot turn those sentences into coherent and effective essays as yet. </p>
<h2>Motivation to learn</h2>
<p>The question of motivation then becomes key. Students’ motivation for learning a language has long been divided (and I simplify somewhat) into <a href="http://coerll.utexas.edu/methods/modules/learners/02/index.php">instrumental and integrative</a>. Integrative motivation is the desire to learn a language because of an internal desire to do so – because the learner is interested in the language itself, perhaps for cultural or family reasons. </p>
<p>Instrumental motivation, on the other hand, occurs because of the utility of the language – perhaps it can lead to promotion at work, or success in business. This is key for students taking part in education that happens away from their own home language. </p>
<p>If a student wishes to become part of academia, then I would predict they are more likely to make sure they improve their language abilities. But if all they are interested in is a qualification leading to employment, then they are more likely to turn to translation software.</p>
<h2>Keep attitudes flexible</h2>
<p>Universities will need to address these developments. Is a text written in a students’ first language and then translated into English, their own work? <a href="http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/terms/user_terms.html">Who does the final translation belong to?</a> Perhaps it undermines the value of a degree if a student is able to satisfy a university’s requirements without fluently speaking the language of the university. </p>
<p>There may be need for a more flexible approach. After all, as I am typing this, the spell check and auto correct are quietly working away, often correcting things before I even notice them. The fact that I am an atrocious typist doesn’t mean that I can’t write.</p>
<p>It is clear that translation software is already having a major effect on how students from different language backgrounds will deal with university. If carefully managed, the technology could remove the obstacle to study for vast numbers of people who speak different languages, making universities more inclusive on a truly global scale.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35923/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mike Groves does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New technology has the habit of making certain professions redundant. Power looms put cotton workers out of job, leading to the rise of the Luddites. Word processors put an end to the typing pool. Now…Mike Groves, Course Leader of Insessional English (EAP), University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/260732014-05-09T05:35:20Z2014-05-09T05:35:20ZAwkward pauses in online calls make us see people differently<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/48068/original/v6q9227y-1399545517.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ken? Ken? Are you still there, Ken?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">disappointing video chat shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>We all know the feeling, you’re chatting with your friend or even your boss over the internet and you interrupt them awkwardly. A silence ensues as you both try to let each other talk. Then you interrupt each other again and face another awkward silence before sighing collectively at the failure of modern technology to make our modern lives as modern as we want them to be.</p>
<p>Transmission delay is a common problem in communication that is supported by technical equipment, such as internet calling, mobile phones, video phones and conferencing systems. These are used more and more at work and for personal communication so the effect they have on our perceptions of each other is increasingly important. Our research suggests that we have a tendency to think differently of the people we are talking to if the line is bad.</p>
<p>When we experience delays in communicating over the phone or online, conversations change quite dramatically. Pauses become much longer and awkward silences stunt our progress.</p>
<p>People feel they are being interrupted more often even if the person they are talking to didn’t intentionally speak out of turn. Sometimes both people just stop talking and no one knows who should continue. The conversation gets confused and people need to explicitly state whose turn it is to talk. It’s all very far from the way conversation flows in real life.</p>
<p>The awkwardness is heightened if people are unfamiliar to each other. They have no prior knowledge about the other person’s personality or how they normally speak. We added artificial delays to the line in <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581914000287">our research</a> and found that the judgements people made about their interlocutor depended on the length of that delay. </p>
<p>For transmission delays of 1.2 seconds, the interlocutor was rated as less attentive, friendly and self-disciplined than if there was no delay. Our research has also shown that the initial interaction speed of a conversation is essential for how much people realise that there is a technical problem.</p>
<p>If the conversation is clearly structured in terms of who is going to speak or if they are interacting quickly, they tend to be more critical about the experienced quality of the connection. If however the initial interaction speed is slow, the quality perception will be less affected by technical delays – although we still observed some difficulty in interaction and some changes in perception about the interlocuter.</p>
<h2>Technical problem, human consequence</h2>
<p>Transmission delay happens because of the way speech and video is transported and is particularly a problem when we send data over the internet.</p>
<p>Delays in IP-based services are often unavoidable because speech and video data is split up into so-called packets when in transit. The path that each packet takes can be completely different from another so some may arrive earlier than others, even if the other was sent earlier.</p>
<p>At the receiving side, the application is queuing the packets to play them in the correct order but it has to decide how long to wait for a packet to arrive. Either packets are dropped after a certain waiting period or long delay times will occur.</p>
<p>The underlying problem is that, due to the time shifts, the experienced courses of a conversation are quite different on either side of it. The timing of a person’s speech is different in their own reality and the reality of the person they are talking to at the other end of an internet connection.</p>
<p>So far there is no solution to this problem. Standardisation organisations have agreed on certain time limits that should not be exceeded to still receive a good quality conversation but these requirements can’t always be met. Payed services usually try harder to meet these requirement for providing a good quality to their customers. In the end it boils down to a benchmarking of how good other properties can get in the shortest amount of processing time and how much bandwidth is accessible.</p>
<p>Since the use of internet calling has become such an important part of our lives, services need to be improved. But for this to happen, we need to decide what actually makes a successful mediated conversation. Until then we should perhaps start thinking more carefully about the impression we give when talking to others and our perception of them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/26073/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katrin Schoenenberg is affiliated with TU-Berlin and Telekom Innovation Laboratories.</span></em></p>We all know the feeling, you’re chatting with your friend or even your boss over the internet and you interrupt them awkwardly. A silence ensues as you both try to let each other talk. Then you interrupt…Katrin Schoenenberg, Research Assistant, Technical University of BerlinLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/211212013-12-17T03:27:19Z2013-12-17T03:27:19ZDoes Skype help or hinder communication?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37731/original/7c3zz78c-1386911279.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Is the digital world making communication easier or harder?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Envato</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Speech is the one of the most important forms of communication between humans. </p>
<p>The internet has opened doors for us to communicate with people across the globe – but the technology often leads to misunderstanding. </p>
<p>As pointed out by <a href="http://www.mee.tcd.ie/%7Enaharte/">Naomi Harte</a> of <a href="http://www.tcd.ie">Trinity College</a> in a recent presentation delivered to the <a href="https://dublin.sciencegallery.com">Science Gallery Dublin</a>, communicating effectively through technology is a lot more complex than you may imagine. </p>
<p>The quality of the sound we hear, the images we see and the emotions that speech convey, matter greatly for the creation of valid meaning. This complexity is often not captured when communicating through the internet and with machines.</p>
<h2>Lost in translation</h2>
<p>Whether it be a <a href="http://www.skype.com/%E2%80%8E">Skype</a> call, or giving a voice command to your smartphone, communicating through technology can be tricky. </p>
<p>Anything that disrupts our ordinary speech rhythms, as well as the way we process tone of voice, facial expression and other physiological cues, can affect interpretation of the speech act and transform meaning.</p>
<p>Understanding the complex ways in which we communicate can help us develop technologies which will improve online exchanges and reduce misunderstandings, so engineers and researchers such as Harte have been focused on two ways to improve digital communication:</p>
<ol>
<li>improving digital speech quality</li>
<li>transmitting emotion in human-computer interactions and internet telephony. </li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37571/original/yq3cztp5-1386825032.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37571/original/yq3cztp5-1386825032.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37571/original/yq3cztp5-1386825032.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37571/original/yq3cztp5-1386825032.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37571/original/yq3cztp5-1386825032.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37571/original/yq3cztp5-1386825032.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37571/original/yq3cztp5-1386825032.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37571/original/yq3cztp5-1386825032.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We’ve come a little further than that photophone transmitter, but machine communication can still be rough.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Improving speech quality</h2>
<p>In many situations where humans and gadgets try to talk to each other – through dialogue systems, e-books, tablets, mobile phones and computer games – it is the machine which struggles to understand the spoken cues and then formulate an intelligible and natural sounding response.</p>
<p>Researchers are trying to improve human-to-human communication by enhancing how the multimedia capabilities of the internet function together simultaneously. At Trinity College Harte is currently working on a project to improve something called “Audio-Visual Speech Recognition”. </p>
<p>This means using visual data such as tracking lip movements to improve speech recognition and thus the audio signal. Using similar mechanisms the research group <a href="http://www.mee.tcd.ie/%7Esigmedia/">Sigmedia</a> hope to improve human-to-machine communication by having machines sense lip and eye movements, gesture and voice.</p>
<h2>Transmitting emotions</h2>
<p>The other major challenge to improving speech technologies is related to the emotional content of speech. </p>
<p>Designers and researchers know this – but the field of <a href="http://example.com/">affective computing</a> (computing that influences emotion) is relatively young. At this point speech recognition systems are mostly inadequate to the task of conveying and recognising emotion. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37757/original/3ms3nhst-1386914534.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37757/original/3ms3nhst-1386914534.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37757/original/3ms3nhst-1386914534.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37757/original/3ms3nhst-1386914534.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37757/original/3ms3nhst-1386914534.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37757/original/3ms3nhst-1386914534.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37757/original/3ms3nhst-1386914534.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Emotion can be tricky to convey online.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">edenemotions/Flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This makes these applications both less user friendly and less effective. </p>
<p>For these systems to improve there must be research into how to create a framework for the classification of emotional signals, in particular given that they vary greatly across cultures. Fusing audio and visual cues and accounting for cultural and situational variation is key to this process.</p>
<p>Researchers must ask how well their system functions when speech is informal, people are speaking in a second languages, or when the speakers are emotionally influenced.</p>
<h2>The importance of non-verbal cues</h2>
<p>Understanding a spoken message also depends on what we see at the time. </p>
<p>To illustrate this point, Harte combines an identical sound with two videos of lips mouthing different phrases. </p>
<p>Although the sound remains the same, the audience believes they have heard two different words – even after she explains the trick (check out the video below to try it for yourself). </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G-lN8vWm3m0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Essentially, the same sound will be heard differently depending on the visual signal. This phenomenon is called the “<a href="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGurk_effect%E2%80%8E">McGurk effect</a>”, and shows that speech is seen as well as heard.</p>
<p>This example points to a fact that anthropologists, psychologists, mothers and salespeople know well: non-verbal cues like tone of voice and gesture texture our understanding of any speech-act. </p>
<p>This has to be taken into account when communicating digitally.</p>
<p>Even speech itself is hard to understand without context. In addition, the interpretation of the context changes according to our cultural background. The tempo and rhythm of our speech, how long we pause and how long we wait after someone has spoken before initiating a response differ across cultures. </p>
<p>In some languages, the time we would wait before we respond is much longer than others, where it is customary to overlap our response with the end of another person’s statement. This effects communication to such a great extent that a native English speaker choosing to speak in Spanish will mostly abide by the customary patterns of English and vice versa. </p>
<p>A time lag during a Skype voice call can thus intensify misunderstanding and dissonance in inter-cultural communications. And this may be exaggerated by the quality of the audio or video signal. </p>
<h2>Does digital communication have a place in business?</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37754/original/qzdybg4f-1386914317.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37754/original/qzdybg4f-1386914317.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37754/original/qzdybg4f-1386914317.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37754/original/qzdybg4f-1386914317.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37754/original/qzdybg4f-1386914317.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37754/original/qzdybg4f-1386914317.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37754/original/qzdybg4f-1386914317.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bonnaf/Flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There is a general belief that investment in communications technology can cut the cost of international business and collaboration. </p>
<p>Thus <a href="http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/">Google hangouts</a>, Skype and <a href="http://facebook.com">Facebook</a> video are increasingly used for professional purposes such as conferences, international meetings, student lessons and supervision. </p>
<p>There are many documented examples of success, failures and misunderstandings. </p>
<p>Successful international business will probably continue to rely on handshakes, given the importance of physical presence in conveying emotion, creating trust and building empathy. </p>
<p>However, businesses also run on efficiency. </p>
<p>If technology can improve to the extent that it enables the processing of non-verbal gestures (such as lip and eye movements), then the reduced costs in terms of travel will continue to make it a lucrative area of academic research, technological investment and business practice. </p>
<p>One thing is certain, improvements will depend increasingly on the synthesis of multimedia capabilities and recognition of our cultural differences in communicating, interpreting and understanding one another.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/21121/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Philippa Nicole Barr does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Speech is the one of the most important forms of communication between humans. The internet has opened doors for us to communicate with people across the globe – but the technology often leads to misunderstanding…Philippa Nicole Barr, PhD Candidate, social sciences, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/15242011-06-09T04:20:51Z2011-06-09T04:20:51ZYou use VoIP, try and understand it: make a noise and make it clear<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/1609/original/2688417265_9ee35575b4_o_1_.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Are traditional telephony services looking down the barrel of a gun?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Grace</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you use services such as <a href="http://theconversation.com/skype-and-microsoft-a-deal-worth-ringing-home-about-1215">Skype</a>, you’ll already know about Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This is what makes your video calls with loved ones possible, and – not least with the advent of the <a href="http://theconversation.com/can-someone-please-explain-the-nbn-207">NBN</a> – is the future of communication.</p>
<p>Why? Okay, let’s see.</p>
<p>VoIP facilitates telephone conversations carried by internet-style networks, otherwise known as <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/41904/Packet_Switched_vs._Circuit_Switched_Networks">packet-switched networks</a>. These networks move data in small blocks, known as packets, based on the internet address (or IP address) of the destination. On the other hand, traditional telephones use a circuit-switched network which requires a dedicated point-to-point connection between callers.</p>
<h2>We’re not gonna sit in silence</h2>
<p>Simply put, VoIP is more efficient than a traditional telephone system. It all boils down to how the telephony industry allocates resources to its users, and how it bills for them. </p>
<p>We only use communications services for a small fraction of our time, and this allows the industry to work on the concept of <a href="http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/dir-017/_2480.htm">Grade of Service</a> (GoS). This hinges on the statistical likelihood that the resources we need to make a call, search for a webpage etcetera will be available at the time we need them. </p>
<p>The better the GoS, the lower that likelihood that the resources will not be available. And also, the better the GoS, the more equipment a network operator has to install and maintain, and so the more expensive the service.</p>
<p>VoIP is far cheaper because it uses computing power to dramatically reduce the resources required to carry telephone calls, and hence reduces the pressure on GoS. For example, having signed up with some VoIP service providers, calls to major overseas destinations, such as the US, are free. </p>
<h2>We’re all someone’s daughter; we’re all someone’s son</h2>
<p>Imagine you are on the phone. You speak for roughly half the time; your friend speaks for the other half. Roughly half your portion of speech comprises silent gaps between words. If you’re using a telephone line, at best your utilisation is only 25%. </p>
<p>Now, imagine you’re able to split your speech into tiny chunks, pass these chunks through the network and reassemble them at the other end. These chunks can be aggregated into large streams of data, with close to 100% utilisation, making far better use of the resources.</p>
<p>This is how VoIP works: it samples your speech extremely quickly, assembles those samples into chunks, transports these chunks in IP packets through an internet style network, un-chunks them at the receiver, and re-assembles them into your speech. It uses the computing power of your smartphone or computer to do this.</p>
<p>In addition to this (considerable) saving, two other factors come into play:</p>
<p>1) The cost and management of internet-type networks is dramatically simpler and cheaper than telephone networks.
Enormous speed and capacity increases of the fibre infrastructure, which underpins all modern networks, means that “transport” costs are now a fraction of what they were 30 years ago. This has led to what the industry calls “death of distance”. </p>
<p>2) You do not have to be a telco such as Telstra to offer voice services. This effectively revolutionises the industry by paving the way for greatly reduced billing and administrative costs.</p>
<p>This explains why VoIP services are so cheap that they seem to be almost free. </p>
<p>In Australia, the NBN will essentially spell the end of traditional copper based telephone services. All telephony will be carried by packet-based systems. This is in fact already true for the millions of us who use 3G mobile systems.</p>
<p>Companies such as <a href="http://theconversation.com/a-big-call-what-microsoft-wants-from-skype-1211">Skype (which was recently acquired by Microsoft)</a> and Google have started to flood the market with VoIP-based services. Most integrate seamlessly with current telephone systems. Other companies such as Pennytel are offering VoIP services that emulate traditional telephone services. </p>
<p>The challenge for companies such as Telstra and Optus is how to compete on equal terms with Skype and Google, while not compromising their revenue streams. </p>
<p>We’ve all seen recent (and dramatic) examples of market gouging, such as international roaming charges, as the telcos seek to shore up their businesses. </p>
<p>Structural separation of the major telcos into retail and wholesale entities is the route being taken in Australia, driven by the NBN.</p>
<p>The future will see more and more of us owning VoIP-enabled smartphones, with a single contact number that will seamlessly roam from mobile networks to Wi-Fi or other networks. </p>
<h2>We gotta make ends meet, before we get much older</h2>
<p>There will come a time when we will no longer even think of somebody having something as archaic as a phone number. We will be billed a flat rate that will be more of an access fee than a usage fee. It will not matter who we are calling, anywhere in the world. The price will be the same.</p>
<p>I am reminded of the story of the Elders of the city of Port Elizabeth, who were approached in the 1880s for financial support to install a telephone system. </p>
<p>They refused, saying that they could not imagine anybody wanting this newfangled intrusive device in their homes. And, what possible use could it have anyway? </p>
<p>Sounds a bit like what some of us have been saying about the NBN.</p>
<p><strong><em>What are your views on the VoIP revolution? And the NBN? And <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbkOZTSvrHs">John Farnham</a>? Leave your comments below.</em></strong></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/1524/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robin Braun has previously been the recipient of ARC grants to conduct research as an employee of the University of Technology, Sydney</span></em></p>If you use services such as Skype, you’ll already know about Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This is what makes your video calls with loved ones possible, and – not least with the advent of the NBN…Robin Braun, Professor of Telecommunications Engineering, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/13582011-05-20T04:07:36Z2011-05-20T04:07:36ZLinkedIn is floating on air… or is that a bubble?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/1195/original/AAP_LinkedIn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Is LinkIn's successful float a harbinger of a looming tech bubble?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>LinkedIn’s highly successful <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-18/linkedin-raises-352-8-million-in-ipo-as-shares-priced-at-top-end-of-range.html">share market debut</a> on Wall Street overnight will have no doubt delighted the social networking site’s founders and investors, with the stock’s price more than doubling during its first day of trade.</p>
<p>But the fact the company’s market value consequently rocketed from $US3 billion to nearly $9billion in a matter of days will also add fuel to concerns that we are heading for <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/faster-forward/post/linkedin-ipo-hits-9-billion----a-new-tech-bubble/2011/05/19/AFl7xE7G_blog.html">another tech bubble</a>.</p>
<p>LinkedIn’s listing is the first of a string of highly anticipated tech floats in the next 12 months, including an initial public offering (IPO) for Facebook.</p>
<p>If these companies go public with the same success as LinkedIn, then fears of the first tech bubble since the 1990s may well be justified.</p>
<h2>Profit taking</h2>
<p>One of the key reasons for a company to make an initial public offering (IPO) and list on the stock exchange is to raise capital.</p>
<p>The money received from the market in return for issuing common stock (shares) provides the corporation with the required resources to capitalise on market opportunities, generate revenues and earn sustainable economic returns for stakeholders. </p>
<p>For the individual investor, an IPO can present an attractive early opportunity to tap into a business venture with high potential for value creation, promising the shareholder a return on their investment greater than the risk-free market rate. </p>
<p>Well, that is the theory. But what are the risks?</p>
<p>The collapse of the dot-com bubble in 2000 and the ensuing dramatic decline in stock prices of internet companies, along problematic accounting practices and the fall out of the global financial crisis (GFC), have conspired to stem the appetite for risk among financial institutions and investors. </p>
<p>More recently, increasing investor awareness of risks associated with the new generation of high tech businesses, as well as the costs associated with running a public company, have translated into a depressed market for public offerings. </p>
<p>This is particularly true for IPOs of internet businesses, as it is often difficult even for experts to determine the real value of those companies. </p>
<p>Not surprisingly, investors are no longer prepared to invest purely on the bases of analyst opinions or financial reports. </p>
<p>When evaluating a company’s performance, they want to understand what is being measured, including sources of revenue, cash flow, core earnings and the value of any outstanding employee stock options. </p>
<p>In an uncertain economic environment, investors remain risk-averse and demand better information.</p>
<h2>Trouble bubbling?</h2>
<p>Despite global economic uncertainty, and in particular in the US, IPOs are coming back into favour again as alternative investment modes. </p>
<p>Reenergised by stock market activity, historic low interest rates, a depressed real estate market and an increasing number of Chinese technology companies seeking to list on the US, stock markets provide a rationale for this renewed level of interest. </p>
<p>Wall Street has also noted resurgence in high tech IPO offerings. This is particularly applies to a group of internet based ‘new economy companies’ that have high growth potential.</p>
<p>Some market analysts are concerned by this trend and caution that if large Web 2.0+ companies such as Twitter or Facebook decide to go public it will no doubt change the rules of the game for the industry. </p>
<p>Social network companies like Facebook (with an estimated value of $US79 billion) have a profitable business model and consequently have the potential to raise billions of dollars in an IPO.</p>
<p>This will certainly put pressure on others to follow and join the fray.</p>
<p>The $US8 billion price tag reportedly paid by Microsoft for Skype, and now LinkedIn’s successful IPO, has raised concerns among analyst in particular how a company like LinkedIn could be worth 36 times its revenues. </p>
<p>Reflecting on these recent transactions, some industry observers have speculated that there is a very real potential for the igniting another high tech bubble.</p>
<h2>Staying positive</h2>
<p>Not everyone will agree with these dire observations and some analyst argues that there is no internet bubble now, nor likely to be one. </p>
<p>Here, it is suggested that the potential for commercial revenue growth, particularly for social networking sites and companies like Facebook and LinkedIn, “have not even scratched the surface yet in terms of their potential to develop new markets and commercial opportunities”.</p>
<p>There is no doubting the fact that the current generation of internet-based, high-tech start up companies, unlike their predecessors, have spent more time and energy on developing viable business plans and growing their customer bases. </p>
<p>Facebook, for example, has a customer base of some 600 million accounts and earned $US355 million on revenue of $US1.2 billion. </p>
<p>LinkedIn and its founder Reid Hoffman, 43, who owns a 21% stake in the company, have spent over a decade developing their business. </p>
<p>Its customer base embraces 90 million people who have set up profiles on its website. </p>
<p>LinkedIn generates its $US180 million in revenue annually from a mix of online advertising and fees charged to businesses for expanded access to listings on their website and earned $US1.85 million during the first nine months of 2010. </p>
<p>There is however little doubt that these companies are more mature, have a superior business models and generate better revenues than their predecessors during the dot-com bubble. </p>
<h2>Keeping cautious</h2>
<p>For the present, institutional and private investors however remain very cautious. </p>
<p>Many of the internet based companies will first need to establish a track record for profitability to ensure a successful IPO. </p>
<p>There are many social sites and as time becomes more and more a scarce commodity, rationalisation will occur.</p>
<p>LinkedIn survived and outlasted an early generation of social networks because of its pragmatic approach and focus on their core business and commitment to developing and refining a sustainable business model. </p>
<p>This has made them an attractive investment for institutional shareholders.</p>
<p>In a converging landscape where the boundaries are collapsing between telecommunication carriers, software developers, device manufacturers and media there is little doubt that there will be a surge in IPOs, mergers and acquisitions and alliance activities. </p>
<p>There are signs indicating the potential for another tech bubble and dramatic fluctuations in the stock prices of internet high – tech companies and social networks are a real threat to the investors’ aspiration for wealth creation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/1358/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Antoine Hermens does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>LinkedIn’s highly successful share market debut on Wall Street overnight will have no doubt delighted the social networking site’s founders and investors, with the stock’s price more than doubling during…Antoine Hermens, Doctor; Director Global EMBA, School of Management, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/12152011-05-11T04:56:15Z2011-05-11T04:56:15ZSkype and Microsoft: a deal worth ringing home about?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/1030/original/aapone-20110511000317295437-usa_microsoft_purchases_skype-original.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Microsoft's US$8.5 billion purchase: investment folly, or money well spent?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lou Dematteis/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>So, <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2011/may11/05-10CorpNewsPR.mspx">Microsoft has announced</a> it will buy Skype in a US$8.5 billion move that has left the technology and business worlds puzzled.</p>
<p>Owners of Microsoft shares might be most puzzled of all, maybe even tearing their hair out over a deal that, at first sight, seems to have significantly disadvantaged the software behemoth, both <a href="http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/20110511-will-microsoft-make-a-return-from-its-us8-5-billion-skype-acquisition.html">financially</a> and technologically.</p>
<p>Why has Microsoft taken the risk?</p>
<p>In short, if this deal works out, Microsoft may have bought itself back into a game it was losing against internet upstarts such as Facebook and Google.</p>
<p>So, what makes Skype so valuable? </p>
<p>Skype is a service that provides <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP">VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)</a> in which calls are transmitted as data packets over internet connections.</p>
<p>This technology operates in contrast to conventional phone technology, which relies on the creation of virtual circuits between the two ends of the call. VoIP allows the unification of telephone services with the internet and removes the need for a dedicated telephone line. </p>
<p>The popularity of VoIP and Skype is the primary reason for the increasing popularity of Naked DSL plans (i.e. internet plans that leave out the cost of the phone line).</p>
<p>There are many pure VoIP providers (such as <a href="http://www.vonage.com/">Vonage</a>) that provide telephone service for business functions (such as call centres) but Skype is not a pure VoIP implementation. </p>
<h2>VoIP and more</h2>
<p>Skype has its roots in the failed peer-to-peer (P2P) startup, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazaa">Kazaa Technologies</a>, that was brought to ground by <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/MGM_Studios,_Inc._v._Grokster,_Ltd.">lawsuits alleging that the platform played a role in the piracy of copyrighted films</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer">Peer-to-peer (P2P) technology</a> involves dynamic connections between machines on the internet, connections that are used to share functions such as processing power or <a href="http://www.f5.com/pdf/white-papers/rateshaping-wp.pdf">bandwidth</a>.</p>
<p>Skype uses <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype_protocol">proprietary P2P protocols</a> to perform computationally-intensive functions – such as routing calls – and uses bandwidth of connected computers to provide traffic intensive services, such as video calls. </p>
<p>It has also developed a suite of technologies to work around obstacles on the internet such as firewalls. This means that Skype provides better call quality and more features than any of its competitors.</p>
<h2>Cloud wars</h2>
<p>Skype’s many features – not to mention a <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/05/skype-buyout-lets-microsoft-ex.html">bevy of patents</a> – is likely to make it hard for Google or Facebook to compete in the VoIP market.</p>
<p>By integrating Skype’s P2P technologies into Microsoft products such as <a href="http://www.officelive.com/en-us/">Office Live</a> and <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/lync/communicator.aspx">Lync Communicator</a>, the software giant can markedly improve its performance against rival offerings (Google Docs, for example).</p>
<p>This is a key advantage, particularly considering that the tech <em>trend du jour</em> is cloud computing, wherein users interact with software applications hosted on remote data centers. </p>
<p>But there are many challenges for Microsoft to overcome before it can realise the benefits of this purchase.</p>
<p>Integration of two diverse technologies is one. The other is the fate of Skype users running non-Microsoft operating systems (Mac and Linux, for example).</p>
<p>While Microsoft has pledged to support all operating systems in this new venture only time will tell if this is the case.</p>
<p>Whether the purchase of Skype is good move or investment folly remains to be seen.</p>
<p><strong>Related coverage</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/a-big-call-what-microsoft-wants-from-skype-1211">A big call: what Microsoft wants from Skype</a></li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/1215/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Srikumar Venugopal does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>So, Microsoft has announced it will buy Skype in a US$8.5 billion move that has left the technology and business worlds puzzled. Owners of Microsoft shares might be most puzzled of all, maybe even tearing…Srikumar Venugopal, PhD; Lecturer in Computer Science and Engineering, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/12112011-05-11T04:54:51Z2011-05-11T04:54:51ZA big call: what Microsoft wants from Skype<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/1028/original/aapone-20110511000317301661-us-it-internet-telecom-microsoft-original.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=119%2C44%2C3022%2C2186&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, left, has big plans for Skype.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kimihiro Hoshino/AFP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Microsoft’s US$8.5 billion Skype acquisition, <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2011/may11/05-10CorpNewsPR.mspx">announced yesterday</a>, gives the US software developer a golden opportunity to expand its business via the internet, including accessing and leveraging the rapidly growing social media market. </p>
<p>This makes sense, given the primary motivation for most acquisitions is they provide the fastest route to growing revenues.</p>
<p>Despite Microsoft’s previous, less-than-successful internet forays things are looking promising. Indeed, the Skype acquisition appears to make a great deal of strategic sense on a number of fronts. </p>
<p>As one of the largest acquisitions in corporate history, the deal is not without risks. But the Skype deal gives Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer and his team an opportunity to “change the rules of the game” in their favour. </p>
<h2>A competitive context </h2>
<p>Microsoft is operating in a globally competitive and rapidly evolving high-tech industry. Success and failure is played out in an environment where there are no effective barriers to hide (IP) behind. </p>
<p>Its key value drivers (success factors) are constituted by multiple layers of speed of innovation, the ability to integrate, and ease of access. This ease of access equates to a need for seamless communication, anywhere any time. </p>
<p>The integration of Skype’s internet telephony and video technology with Microsoft’s Windows platforms (including Outlook and Xbox Live services) will give consumers new, more innovative, effective and flexible means to communicate and transfer information and data. </p>
<h2>Multiple benefits</h2>
<p>The fact Skype also runs on Macs, Linux, iPhone and Android-based devices will allow Steve Ballmer and his team to design a valuable offering that represents a better deal for consumers. </p>
<p>Of course, for Microsoft’s competitors, the news is not so welcome. </p>
<p>The integration of Microsoft and Skype’s technological capabilities and brand recognition will help Microsoft grow its market share in its traditional software markets. </p>
<p>But, more importantly, it will present new opportunities in those market segments (iPhone and game markets) dominated by Apple. </p>
<p>Microsoft’s strategic logic is impeccable on another front: at very least it will impede and or slow Google’s quest to dominate the communications market. </p>
<p>That said, the real challenge lies in the execution of these ambitions. </p>
<p>The merger will test both Microsoft’s and Skype’s management and staff. Are the operating cultures at both firms compatible? </p>
<p>One real risk is that merger tensions could become a major barrier to the potential evolution and development of the technologies and synergies. </p>
<p>Fortunately, all indications are that given the insights gained by Microsoft from previous experiences this is not likely to occur.</p>
<p><strong>Related coverage</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/skype-and-microsoft-a-deal-worth-ringing-home-about-1215">Skype and Microsoft: a deal worth ringing home about?</a></li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/1211/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Antoine Hermens does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Microsoft’s US$8.5 billion Skype acquisition, announced yesterday, gives the US software developer a golden opportunity to expand its business via the internet, including accessing and leveraging the rapidly…Antoine Hermens, Doctor; Director Global EMBA, School of Management, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.