With the COVID-19 pandemic turning everything online we got really used to using video chat. Websites like Zoom became an overnight sensation and everyone learned how to get connected with each other. Now, video chat is all over, whether it is live video like Facebook live, or the more common one on one chat like Apple's FaceTime. The use of video chat has become second nature to some people as their choice form of calling, but it hasn't always been like that. Let's look at the history and impact of video calls.`
History
The idea of being able to talk to someone through video is one that started soon after the invention of the telephone. All the way back in 1876 it was planned that there should be video that can go along with the audio transmissions made by Alexander Graham Bell. Now just because the idea was thought of didn't mean any major advancements were made near that time. It took years for the technology to advance to the point where video was even a thing, never mind two way live video, but things began to happen. In 1964 AT&Ts Bell Labs created the picturephones which were little phone booth like places where people could have a video call with someone. Now the locations were very scarce, only being in New York City, Washington D.C. and Chicago, along with it being extremely expensive, about $255 in todays money for just three minutes, the picturephones did not last long. But technology kept advancing and in 1982 videoconferencing was created, giving businesses the ability to have a video conference with large groups of people at the same place. With this being new technology it wasn't cheap at all being sold at $250,000 for the computer to run it and costing companies $1,000 for each hour they were on call. Prices like that made no companies rush to install such technology so it would still be a little bit of time before video calling became more of the norm.
Over time, the technology has made advancements which made quality better, cheaper and more mobile, in 1992 AT&T made a home videophone. This was a major creation as it was giving video access to more and more people, this product was too great though, giving colored video, but running at 10 frames per second. Over the next few years different companies would make their own at home videophones, changing things from AT&Ts like size, frames per second, color but all of this would adjust the price as well. These products would be the only option until the internet became the place to be and websites like Skype was created for the public. The early 2000's were a huge jump in video chat, the invention of Skype being on the free web, this gave access to video chat to anyone who has enough of a set up. Now, not only could people have a video call in their house if they paid for a videophone, but anyone could have a call if they had a camera. This paved the way for a lot more improvements in all different senses of video chat, whether that is accessibility, like putting it on your phone, or its the amount of people that can be on a call.
Impact
Video chat has changed how people communicate by making as close as possible to be with someone that you can't actually be with. The creation of video chat gave people the ability to chat long distances, talk long distances, and also show emotions long distances. The biggest impact that video chat has had on humanity as a whole happened just recently. With the recent pandemic people used video chat every day as that was the best way to communicate with people and feel like they were there. This is all thanks to apps like FaceTime and Zoom and other apps or websites, but all of this really traces all the way back to AT&T and Bell wanting to create these video phones about 150 years ago.
Now just because something revolutionizes how people communicate does not mean it gets to avoid all negative parts about it, video chats have a ton of issues. The main issues that people have with it is privacy issues. You are giving an app or website access not just to your voice, but your voice and face and some times more personal information. It is always tough to know who to trust and who you cannot, as well as there is no way of knowing if something gets hacked. The issue of privacy is something that a lot of people have on their computer and something like hacking a video website or app isn't just a fear, but has been reality.
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