Social science: Glitchy video calls break down more than just conversation

Interrupted connections to video calls can impact many aspects of life, including parole decisions, trust in advice given during online medical appointments, or hiring decisions after virtual job interviews, according to research published in Nature this week. The study suggests that glitches break the illusion of face-to-face conversations, causing a negative effect on interpersonal judgements.

Video calling has replaced face-to-face communication in a range of settings, from social connections to important meetings and appointments. However, approximately one third of video calls are affected by glitches caused by connectivity issues, including frozen screens, lags and distorted audio. Although some people may feel that such issues do not have serious consequences, Jacqueline Rifkin, Melanie Brucks and colleagues investigated whether there may be negative consequences in certain settings.

A series of experiments and real-life data highlight the potential for video call glitches to harm outcomes in important online interactions. In a job interview experiment, more than 3,000 participants watched job interview recordings in a setting to replicate a video call; glitches during these calls decreased the likelihood of the candidate being recommended for hire. A scenario to replicate virtual health consultations involved 497 participants listening to healthcare advice; 77% reported confidence in working with the healthcare professional during a glitch-free call, but this reduced to 61% when the call had connection issues. Real-world data from 472 online court hearings revealed that disrupted connections were associated with lower chances of individuals being granted parole (60% were granted parole when there were no issues with the call, reducing to 48% in problematic calls).

Video calls simulate face-to-face conversations, but audiovisual glitches break this illusion, thereby damaging interpersonal judgements, the authors note. Common problems, such as distorted or frozen faces, ‘choppy’ out-of-sync movements and echoing sound can make the call feel eerie, strange or creepy. Because disadvantaged groups may have poor internet connections, these problems could also perpetuate further inequality in these populations, who may therefore experience worse outcomes after important online interactions, the authors conclude.