Fatigued individuals show increased conformity in virtual meetings

Virtual meetings are widespread in organizations despite being perceived as fatiguing; a phenomenon also known as Zoom fatigue. Research suggests that Zoom fatigue is stronger when the camera is on, potentially influencing individuals to conform to majority opinions during professional online meetings. Two preregistered studies were conducted to explore the relationships between camera use, Zoom fatigue, social presence, and conformity. Study 1 involved 287 participants describing a professional online meeting in terms of the content discussed as well as the study variables. Study 2 involved 64 participants in an experimentally manipulated online meeting (camera on vs. off), focusing on a personnel selection task. We measured how many times participants changed their answers to match the majority and how this was related to Zoom fatigue and self-reported conformity. Results from both studies indicated that camera use was not related to either conformity or Zoom fatigue. Despite not finding the presumed mediation effect, the studies showed a clear link between fatigue and conformity. The results explain the emergence of conformity in online meetings and provide practical information for the design of video conferences.