Zoom bias: The social costs of having a 'tinny' sound during video conferences

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Most job candidates know to dress nicely for Zoom interviews and to arrange a professional-looking background for the camera. But a new Yale study suggests they also ought to test the quality of their microphones. A tinny voice caused by a cheap mic, researchers say, could sink their chances. Through a series of experiments, the study demonstrates that tinny speech—a thin, metallic sound—during video conferences can have surprisingly deep social consequences, leading listeners to lower their judgments of a speaker's intelligence, credibility, and romantic desirability. It can also hurt an individual's chances of landing a job. These effects could be a potential source of unintentional bias and discrimination, given the likelihood that microphone quality is correlated w ... Read full article.