It’s a very good question. It’s been informally floated around for a few months now. It appeals to unis making good ‘savings’ and less loss of focus on teaching and admin duties. It appeals to funders for more can be done for less. Let me be brutally honest. A short thread: https://twitter.com/dbessner/status/1357828745202003968

A. Zoom doesn’t shrink distances. Assuming one is based in UK, doing conferences in the middle of the night - say if you’re most professionally rewarding interactions are in Asia - and going about life normally the rest of the day isn’t sustainable, desirable, or even practical.

B. Zoom doesn’t improve exchange quality. Best engagements at a conference are happening on the sidelines of a conference, breaks, lunch, dinners. People need to let things sink in. Take that away and academia will quickly become kingdom of hypocrisy. As if it weren’t already.

C. Zoom kills curiosity. Academic work is about discovery. Discovery is driven by curiosity. Curiosity feasts in stimulus. There’s just so much stimulus your living room can offer. I wouldn’t replace ideas I’ve had over years during time ‘lost going to conferences’ with anything.

D. Zoom makes us less empathetic. Less be honest. Academics aren’t the most sociable lot, and less exposure to others will make us more inclined to stick with ‘our own’, and less inclined to understand others. Getting out there it’s genuinely a thing.

So - in all, webinars/virtual confs have been a great aid this past year. But make not mistake it is a supporting tool at best. Nothing can replace that all-inspiring chat over that half-burned cup of coffee when you’re half asleep after 14 hours flight.