Researchers ask if we feel differently about ourselves since video-chat explosion February 1, 2021 SHARE Are we less satisfied with our appearances since the dawn of the "Age of Zoom?" Research from Washington University in St. Louis tackles the question. (Image: Shutterstock) Most people wouldn’t sit in front of a mirror for hours a day, checking themselves out, but the COVID-19 pandemic has found many doing just that. Video chatting services such as Zoom have become a common way to keep in touch with friends, family and co-workers. But it’s also forced people to sit face-to-face with themselves with a clear view of every pimple, every wrinkle and every awkward expression they’d otherwise never see.