Hate to say it, but this isn't a social media thing or even new. How you look and sound greatly affects how people perceive your ideas. The parent comment had some good advice, making yourself look better does have an impact. Human psychology being what it is, it's futile to expect that people will just ignore the presentation and solely focus on the content. Plus, if everyone is stuck in a zoom call then they don't want to have to stare at the most unflattering angle possible.

I'm certainly not the best looking person, but adding an external webcam from a different angle definitely was noticed by coworkers in a positive way. I end up in a ton of marketing calls, and often I have to be the engineering voice that speaks up to say 'we can't do it that way, here is an alternative'. Since paying attention to my camera setup, my warnings get taken more seriously and have more attention paid to them.

Nobody is expecting you to look like a model or do a photo shoot, but spending a little bit of time improving camera angle, lighting, and mic really does pay off. No photographer takes low angle shots of close up faces since it's generally very unflattering, but that's the typical setup for a laptop on a desk. Just buying a cheap desk mic and a external webcam really will level up your presence in meetings. Don't think of it as Instagram bullshit, look at it as a way to use your tech skills to lifehack having a better interpersonal presence than you might have in person. Seriously, for ~$100 you can have a nicer camera and mic than 90% of everyone else, and having those things makes people treat you more seriously.

Strongly agree. I used to be a long-haired, long-bearded, t-shirt wearing nerd, and when I started remote work a decade ago, I used the default laptop camera, which gave a great view of the interior of my nostrils.

At some point, I decided to spruce up my appearance. Shaved the hair and beard, bought collared shirts, switched to an external webcam on a boom arm, with a green screen and software to generate a soothing backdrop instead of my cluttered electronics lab. Added a decent quality directional microphone (also boom-mounted) and installed better lighting.

I also replaced my profile photo, taken with the same up-the-nostril webcam, with a professionally taken photo.

The level of respect and engagement from my colleagues went through the roof. Best tech lifehack I ever did.

So we're doing the what is old is new again?

Next, I'll be reading having to wear a coat and tie on a zoom call. The old days you had to have your IBM approved suit with your high&tight (or similarly strict) hair style and closely shaved face. Everyone got sick of that, and it went to casual fridays are still too uptight, so flip flops, shorts and tanktops became the norm. Long hair any above the shoulders became fashionable, and bonus points if you pulled it up into a bun.

now, the pendulum has swung back, and people are trying to differentiate themselves by going back to smartly dressed clean cut. round round like a record, and yet it never ceases to amaze how the repeat makes it out like its the brand new thing nobody has ever seen before. just like redoing your entire code base in $newLanguageDijour.

Almost like human psychology hasn't changed that much. And plus, you don't need to get carried away, simply investing in a decent mic and having a camera that isn't pointed straight up your nose is enough to differentiate you in most meetings.

I'm shocked at the pushback on this, it shouldn't be surprising that people like seeing decent looking people. You don't need to loom like an Instagram model, I certainly don't. But spending 15 minutes on Amazon and 20 minutes of setup time to make yourself look better on video calls isn't a huge ask. Hell, BO issues from not showering would be a more major career-limiting move in an office, and on zoom the only way your coworkers can tell you didn't shower is if you actively look greasy. This is way less of an ask, acting like making yourself presentable on camera is a huge burden is crazy to me. It's way easier to be presentable on zoom, because again just spending $30 on a mic is a game changer.

Yeah it is a very low bar to just look presentable for a video call. I actually prefer calls where people have their video turned on.There is a lot of visual cues to know how your idea is coming across from people's facial expressions, and people generally seem more attentive when their video is turned on.

the fact that you're not looking at me while you're looking at my image on the screen means the big social cue of eye contact is lost, so i feel like you are avoiding eye contact and not really tuned in.

so until everyone starts to use teleprompters, it is just so off-putting to me that i just can't do it.

What is culturally seen as looking nice may change over the years, but the fact that looking as nice as possible even if casual helps you in the workplace and life never really changed. We have sort of leaned into looking like you aren't trying in the last decade, but the core principle never really changed.

s/Dijour/du jour/

The obvious advantage being that we can easily fake a flattering wardrobe with a green turtleneck.

I'm really not sure anybody thinks this is new. I certainly don't; I'm old enough to have worn a tie to work. I hated it.

Reading through the comments I don't get the impression anybody else thinks it's new either. It reads like you're just looking for reasons to insult people. That's a shame.

If you want to seek out jobs where remote conferencing is eschewed and nobody sees each others' faces, I think that's valid. I won't insult you.

For me there is a strong positive mental health component to having at least some brief human contact with my coworkers, even if it's just Zoom. However quite honestly 15 minutes a day is plenty for me usually... I am much closer to feeling like you than the "return to office" advocates, that is certain.

I hope that as individuals and as a society we can get to a point where we accept that some people want to work remotely and anonymously, some want to work in offices, and many prefer someplace in the middle. And that people from one group won't insult the other.

> I'm certainly not the best looking person, but adding an external webcam from a different angle definitely was noticed by coworkers in a positive way.

Not just the angle. I run my Sony A7S2 as a webcam, usually with the 24-240 allround zoom - and people come and say all the time how good the picture is, simply because they're used to everyone running the potato-quality webcam.

It's a fucking shame that even Apple's multi-thousand-dollar MBP lineup has crap cameras. Yeah, I get it, thin-ness is part of Apple's secret design sauce, but cameras need space so that they can have proper sized sensors and lenses.

(Side note: an external camera has the benefit of being able to point it on your cats. In long-running meetings, showing off your cats tends to be a great mood improver)

> (Side note: an external camera has the benefit of being able to point it on your cats. In long-running meetings, showing off your cats tends to be a great mood improver)

The rule is: if a pet makes it into the shot somehow, you HAVE to bring them up for a close-up

> Expecting me to spruce up beyond what I would ordinarily look like in person is just ludicrous

I don't think the point is mainly about sprucing up beyond what you ordinarily look like. Aside from what others have said, one thing to consider is how the eyes and ears work in person vs via screen + webcam / mic + speakers.

Differences between a human eye and a webcam make it so that when you look at someone in person, even in shitty unflattering light and in a cluttered environment, you'll mostly see that person as they "normally" look. But stick a webcam and a screen in between, and all bets are off. Especially if you're going to use high contrast (think dark skin + white shirt or the reverse, with a strong backlight for bonus points).

Same for listening. You can usually hear people when you're talking to them and there's noise around if you focus a bit. But put a crappy laptop mic and speakers in between, and good luck understanding anything they say.

I don't often use my webcam and tend to turn off incoming video because I don't enjoy teams melting my laptop. But it's an atrocious, infuriating experience trying to talk to someone when I can barely hear their voice and instead am able to follow what their colleagues are saying or counting how many cars go past their window. Taking a little care to be understandable doesn't mean you're expected to be some world-class speaker.

Yeah our company has always been remote, and we've always just done voice calls, which have worked fine, but during COVID someone had the idea to start using video.

In an act of malicious compliance, I went to a second hand shop and picked up an old USB webcam for $3 with complete potato quality. After about an hour or so it also starts glitching out with weird green and purple patterns, a pretty good sign that the meeting has gone on for too long.