Zoom has become the new norm and is now part of everyday life. I think most can agree that they weren’t too excited when everything became remote, but it was the best alternative to in-person learning, so we all went with it. No matter how accustomed we’ve grown to using Zoom, the first impressions we had of this technology will never fade. Here are 13 funny snippets of Zoom life that I’ll remember for years to come.

1. At the beginning of attending school remotely, I’d do my hair and put on makeup every morning, smiling and nodding as the teacher went over concepts. This didn’t last long before I hit a wall. In what seemed like an overnight transformation, you could find me with my camera turned off, eating five different snacks at once, never wearing makeup and still in my pajamas. Now, I’ve finally found the right balance: no makeup, but a nice top. I eat before or after my class and have my camera on whenever I can in order to show professors I’m present and paying attention. I think everybody went through different versions of how they present themselves on Zoom, but I will definitely never forget this transformation!
2. My friend who just started her freshman year said her friends compete to see who can wake up the latest. I initially thought that meant waking up five to ten minutes before class starts, but apparently, they only give themselves 30 seconds to a minute to wake up, brush their hair, throw on a sweater and sit up at their desk. Is this an accomplishment? I honestly don’t know. I have to give myself at least an hour after I wake up for my brain to be alert, so this is something I could never do! But good for them … right?
3. Many have experienced that strange moment when everyone is laughing on Zoom while muted, so you witness 40 people on the screen cracking up silently. A bit awkward, but fun nonetheless!
4. I remember learning how to use Zoom backgrounds for the first time and watching students in class switch their background to outer space and then a field of poppies. I still think Zoom backgrounds are so cool, especially when you can make it look like you’re on campus or in an actual office.
5. My sister never made her bed before, but now that her bed shows up in her Zoom view, she hastily makes it every morning … but hey, my mom’s not complaining!
6. Many people don’t know this about me, but I’m insanely scared of spiders. And no, I don’t let out a girlish scream and call for someone to kill it for me. I literally cry when I see one, and I have no idea why. I know they are tiny and won’t hurt me, but I can’t help it. Anyway, long story short, I was once on Zoom giving a short presentation for a class. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black speck on the wall and freaked out on camera. I forgot to put myself on mute and didn’t warn anyone I was pausing my presentation. So, in the span of 10 seconds, my entire class witnessed me sprinting up the stairs with my laptop as if I was running from someone about to attack me. My classmates said it was like watching a horror movie … whoops!
7. Have you ever watched someone get really embarrassed when a parent or sibling walks into their room in the middle of a call? I think watching someone give their parents a look of disappointment as they innocently come in with food is so funny. You can see in their eyes that they can’t wait to dig into the beautiful meal their parent just prepared, but they have mixed feelings after they told their parents 50 times they’d be ready at 2 when class is over … not 1:35.
8. Once, I noticed a girl on camera paying attention and nodding along to the lecture. Then, out of nowhere, her little brother appeared behind her and started to tackle her. Although it was playfully, it definitely startled me! You could tell her brother felt bad when he realized she was in class, but regardless of this, she looked like she was going to eat him for lunch after the lecture was over.
9. Last semester, I had a class of about 15 people, and there were two students who’d always flirt with each other in person. When classes switched to being online, I was interested to see what would happen to their flirtatious relationship. Well, the class quickly found that their romance online was alive and more active than ever before. Whenever the teacher looked down at their notes, the two students would give each other winks through the camera! Also, you could tell they were texting on the side because they’d switch off laughing and then looking up at the camera to smile. Honestly, although it was distracting, I enjoyed witnessing them continue their romance through a computer screen … especially with 13 other students watching them.
10. I don’t know about your parents, but my dad never wants anyone near his downstairs office when he’s on a Zoom call. He’ll make five announcements the hour before it, warning everyone he’s going to be on a call. But then, when I tell him I have a class, that’s when he decides it’s the perfect time to be in the same room as me. Once, I was in the kitchen, and right when my class started, he decided it was the right time to make a smoothie using the blender. He also made sure to slam every cupboard door in the process. I know he doesn’t do this on purpose, but at the end of the day, I can’t help but laugh about it.
11. In another class I had, one student’s internet was lagging. Every time they tried to talk, the teacher would already be in the middle of their sentence. Because the sound was lagging on both ends, neither of them knew what to do, so they both muted themselves, then unmuted before muting again. Soon enough, everyone was laughing because of the major miscommunication.
12. My friend told me about when her grandma used Zoom for the first time. At first, they could only see her shoulder, and when they finally managed to direct her so she could be in the center of the screen, they couldn’t figure out how to explain “gallery mode” so that their grandma could see everyone at once. Every time her relatives attempted to explain, they all ended up speaking at the same time. It turned into an absolutely chaotic mess, but also a silly scene to look back on, as everyone was in the same boat figuring out how to navigate Zoom during the first few weeks.
13. I still don’t even know how this happened, but once, a teacher played a seven-minute video, but they forgot to press “share screen,” so we couldn’t see anything, and the audio of the video could only be heard through the teacher’s earphones. We were all left watching the teacher watch the video that we all couldn’t see or hear. The “chat” function wasn’t open on their computer, and when we unmuted ourselves to tell them, I guess the video audio they were listening to overpowered our voices. At least it was a nice bonding activity because we were all left sitting there smiling at one another through the screen for seven peaceful minutes.

Zoom, you’ve truly given us a whirlwind. But it’s been a successful adventure, and I’m excited to explore new realms of this online dimension in the months to come. One thing is for sure: We will never forget our experiences in our early days as “Zoomers.”