A Zoom Tetrad: Applying McLuhan's Laws of Media to Video Conferencing

Abstract:Based on observations of video conference story slams, this article uses Marshall and Eric McLuhan's "laws of media" to propose a video conference tetrad The article also compares the resulting tetrad to a previous tetrad of video conferencing among mobile knowledge workers The purpose of the analysis is to better understand this medium and how it changes when used in different settings Story slam video conference extends the face and presence, retrieves (brings into new use) text, obsolesces (displaces) in-person performance, and reverses into facelessness and a lack of presence These findings suggest hosts should lean in to the opportunities for connection provided by video conferencing without overextending the medium This tetrad differs from the earlier one, illustrating the agency of humans when interacting with technology.