Videoage International October 2020

12 World October 2020 V I D E O A G E enlarge the background and find books that are politically incorrect. These video meetings have revealed the difference in perception that exists be- tween 2020 and the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Way back when, the “enlightened” people of those eras preferred to be photographed in their kitchens during so-called “kitchen ca- binet meetings.” The origin of the term dates back to 1831 when Andrew Jackson was president of the United States, but it wasn’t popularized until Richard Nixon, who, as vice president, in 1959 met with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in a kitchen in Moscow. American presidents John Kennedy, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan also preferred the kitchen for meetings with their advisers. This style was later also adopted by leaders of Great Britain, Australia, Canada, India, and Israel. But not everyone has abandoned the kitchen for the bookshelf as backdrop. Jensen Huang, CEO of Santa Clara, California-based chip- maker Nvidia, engineered a $40 billion acquisition of Arm Holdings, all while hosting virtual conferences from his home kitchen. As for shelves full of vol- umes, some time ago the weekly New York Times Book Review , which accompanies the Sunday edition of the newspaper, opened a debate on the personalities of people who have tons of unread books on their shelves. The author of the article, Kevin Mims, a writer and bookseller from Sacramento, California, wondered why people have to surround themselves with so many books that they will never have time to read. Mims also stated that the owner of a large personal library demonstrates a curious personality that is open to new ideas. The books then should represent both what the owners know and what they don’t know. Also, unread books are more valuable than read ones, as unread books can teach people things that they don’t yet know. Pictured above: When being seen in the kitchen was “cool,” Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, John Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Margaret Thatcher, and Walter Mondale. I n today’s COVID-19 world, meetings, conferences, and interviews are taking place virtually via Skype or Zoom. The virtual world entered people’s daily lives earlier than expected, and without warning. The collective reaction was one of resignation and quick adaptation to the “new normal,” with some complaints about “virtual fatigue.” Unique “visual” Zoom techniques have also developed over the last few months. The most common: wearing shorts or overalls (or sometimes just underwear) under elegant jackets, shirts, or sweaters, and of course, the inevitable bookcase as a backdrop. The bookcase background creates an image of refinement, wisdom, and knowledge as books can make the Zoomer appear more authoritative. Sometimes, however, their bibliographic choices can cause embarrassment, especially when technologically adept viewers/participants are able to The Home Library Has Not Yet Replaced Yesterday’s Kitchen in a ZoomWorld (Continued from Page 10) Please contact us for more information Head of Content Sales: Luana Perrero | luana.perrero@mondotvgroup.com www.mondotv.it