Filters. The cornerstone of what seems to be common practise for pre-publishing on social media these days. From Snapchat to Instagram, filtering pictures for news feeds and stories has become the norm with the platforms users.
Whether it be the “dog” filter on Snapchat to the ever-popular “flower crown”, or the touch up apps deemed important before posting to Instagram, Social Media platforms are a common place for such methods of creative license.
But now it seems the filter function is entering the boardroom too.
For your next video integrated meeting, gone are the days of worrying about bad lighting or that after-a-rough-night complexion, because now users of video integration software like Zoom can “Touch Up My Appearance”. More info here.
Wanting to smooth out those facial lines? Done. Cover up some blemishes? Done. Your colleagues on the other side of your video meeting will be none the wiser that you have actually clicked on the “Touch up my Appearance” button.
Features like this are not meant to give you the appearance of a flower crown or the screen looking like it has this blurry effect either though.
This leads to a larger question however, around if these filters are really necessary for your next video integrated meeting?
With the onset of more agile and remote working, employees are spending more time in home offices, coffee shops and co-offices spaces, offering more relaxed settings. Meetings are now happening on-the-go, and apps like Skype for Business playing an important role in all of this.
In the same vein as a recent article by The Guardian on dressing for work, as well as and a previous article published on our website around dressing your office for success, we ask the question now of whether dress code is also a as high priority for video integrated meetings too?
According to a recent survey by Style Compare:
“61% of the UK’s workforce say receiving guidance on what to wear has no positive impact on their happiness or performance at work”.
So if those figures equate to office-bound employees then how we look, aesthetically, on video conferences, does it also matter?
If that after a “long work week glow” is present on your face, heading into the office and attending a meeting in person means no filters could be used. But for a quick spruce up of your look for a video meeting, why not?
Video integrated meetings have become more and more prevalent in today’s working environment – creating, joining and engaging in video meetings should be an effortless task; and with neat little filter ad-on’s like the “Touch Up My Appearance” button, if it is just a quick click away, then again, why not? If it enhances your appearance in a very important call, adds to your confidence level in presenting a certain theme, discussing a central topic, then bolster your meeting options the way you want to. It should not however deter from the overall meeting discussion at hand, or detract from the purpose of the call.
So next time you have a video meeting, are you going to start using the filters?
