If the sight of an incoming facetime call fills you with dread, you might be affected by what some would refer to as ‘Facetime Anxiety.’
It’s entirely understandable, given that facetime puts us on the spot to look, feel and present the best versions of ourselves…something which can be hard to muster up at a moment’s notice.
Then, of course, there’s the ‘FACECHIN’ phenomenon (the tendency to gain chins) that not even the most lean-necked are immune from!
All of the above aside, as public-health experts urge us to stay away from one another in a mass effort towards ‘social distancing’, facetime seems poised to take on a new importance in our lives.
Granted, it might not compare to actually seeing someone in person (nonverbal behaviour doesn’t transmit as well through a screen) but with varying degrees of isolation on the cards for the foreseeable future, it is a step up at least from other technological interactions such as texting or emailing, which might help reduce the risk of depression in people aged 60 and older, in particular.
Checking in via phone and text is still a great idea, but there’s something about seeing somebody’s face that will help to fill the void in interpersonal contact more so than any other means of communication. Specifically, seeing someone’s face increases feelings of empathy and connection, which is something we can’t afford to lose right now.
So, if there was ever a reason to squash facetime anxiety, avoiding the risks of social isolation is certainly as good as any. That, and the fact that it is NATIONAL CONVERSATION WEEK, so a perfectly fitting time to do something different outside our comfort zone, to bring more conversation into our lives.
To test the theory, we facetimed The Townsend Twins to see how they were, and what there approaches were to staying social (and distant) during the current health crisis.
Head on over to our stories to find out...