“Zoom” into the year of video communication
Did you ever think we would be attending important work meetings in our pyjamas, or having drinks with friends through a screen? Times have changed and with the pandemic COVID-19 on the rise and lockdowns being announced, people have been forced to turn to video communication technologies such as Zoom.
What is Zoom, you ask?
Zoom is a video communication platform that allows “conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars across mobile devices, desktops, telephones, and room systems.” It has been used to host meetings, virtual happy hours, virtual classrooms and even blind dates. Zoom is giving us the next best thing during this time that we cannot physically be with people.
When lockdowns were announced in the UK, Zoom’s downloads went from 56,000 a day to 2.13 million a day, and it ranks 2nd among the world’s most downloaded mobile apps. The company also saw a 200 million users per day increase. Looking at the business side of Zoom, their share price have risen from $70 a share in January, to $160 in May. You can see how quickly the prices jumped in the image below.
Now you may be asking yourself why? Why is Zoom more popular than other video communication apps?
As Business Insider explains, Zoom is set apart from their competitors based on their “better call quality, ability to record meetings and being able to share high-quality video over the call”. Another unique feature is the ability for multiple to share their screens at the same time.
Don’t really care about that? Well, Zoom has some fun features that will up your video call.
Zoom’s built-in beauty filter is giving us a helping hand in making our quarantine looks just a little less… “yikes”. Zoom also allows you to travel right from your living room with its virtual backgrounds, because who wouldn’t want to have happy hour on a Caribbean beach?
Overall, Zoom has helped us all stay connected and sane (I’m talking to you fellow extroverts) while we fight this pandemic. Its unique features set it apart from the competitors. However, with its rapid popularity and growth, it is hard to tell if it will stay at the top of video communication apps. What do you think, will Zoom stay on top or just fade into a memory?
For now, let’s just enjoy our time away from dress pants and jeans.
*Written May 2020*
