WFH Tech Issues

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5 Comments

  1. Pau Amma said,

    May 23, 2020 @ 10:34 pm

    For those of us who can't (eg because of disabilities) or won't (for whatever reason) watch videos, I'm curious: what does that say and or what are the psychology of language issues presented?

  2. Philip Taylor said,

    May 24, 2020 @ 4:07 am

    Closed captions read :

    (1st woman) alright, so…oh.
    (1st man) I'll start… oh do you want to go first?
    (1st woman) No, no I don't…you go.
    (1st man) I was just going to say on slide 7,
    (1st man) talking about bundling ands saving…Umm…
    (unseen) Jamie, you're cutting out.
    (2nd man) Jamie, you're cutting out.
    (2nd woman, lower face only) Sorry I'm late!
    (3rd woman) Hey, whoever's doing that, can you go on mute?
    (3rd man) Oh, my bad.
    (1st man) I was just saying there's a typo on slide 7.
    (slide) Bundle home & auto for big discosnouots.
    (1st man) I think that's supposed to say discounts.
    (1st woman) You sure about that?
    (2nd woman, lower face only) Hey, can you guys see me ?

    E&OE.

  3. Dave said,

    May 24, 2020 @ 4:35 am

    Via appeal to voyeurism, we get a takeaway delivered en passant, as the "plain folks" ever-so-briefly (in between the titular technical issues) discuss* a fictional campaign to pitch it.

    What rhetorical figure would this be? It's not really paralipsis, but
    the use of plain folks in addition to the inclusive treatment of the fourth wall might suggest "endolipsis"? Or is this better seen as a frame story, except the story within the frame is packaged as overheard rather than presented?

    * thereby turning "being wrong on the internet" from a pull-device to a push-device?

  4. Philip Taylor said,

    May 24, 2020 @ 4:52 am

    Sorry, I now realise that I should also have offered some background. The video purports to be a presentation on behalf of an insurance company (Progressive Casualty Insurance Company & affiliates), with participants Mara (1st woman), Jamie (1st man), Rodney (2nd man), Flo (2nd woman), Lucy (3rd woman), Alan (3rd man). Partially obscured by the closed captions is some putatively real promotional text which reads as follows :

    1) Discounts not available in all states or situations
    2) Auto insurance from Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & affiliates. Home and renters insurance not available in all states, provided and serviced by affiliated and third-party insurers.
    3) National annual average insurance savings by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive in 2019.
    4) 1-800-PROGRESSIVE PROGRESSIVE.COM
    5) Prices vary based on how you buy.

    All video content is presented as if from a video-conferencing application (neither Skype nor Zoom, don't know whether it is genuine or a mock-up) with the current protagonist occupying the left 7/8, and the five other participants visible (windowed) in the final 1/8, stacked vertically. There is also a small amount of text overlayed over the video on very large font, the final frame of which reads

    PROGRESSIVE
    LOCAL AGENT / PROGRESSIVE.COM

  5. Viseguy said,

    May 24, 2020 @ 7:14 pm

    For me, the biggest WFH (I had to look it up) issue is people starting to talk over each other — "No, you go head" being the endlessly repeated operative phrase. I know it happens in face-to-face meetings, too, but it's more noticeable now, in a mediated world. Still, somewhat amazingly, the work gets done.

    PS: I *love* the Progressive insurance commercials, but never once have I been tempted to switch.

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