MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION


Video-call glitches trigger uncanniness and harm


JACQUELINE R. RIFKIN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR


Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management


Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Cornell University


Author • Jacqueline R. Rifkin


Assistant Professor, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University


• Melanie S. Brucks, Columbia Business School, Columbia University • Jeff S. Johnson, Henry W. Bloch School of Management, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO


Summary Te use of video calls for high-stakes interactions that once required face-


to-face contact is increasing, from medical consultations to job interviews, to court proceedings. But video calling introduces a new communication issue: minor glitches, or intermittent errors in the transmission of audiovisual information, during a virtual interaction. Here, through five experiments and three supplementary studies using both live and recorded interactions, the authors show that minor audiovisual glitches during video calls harm interpersonal judgements in consequential life domains (such as hiring decisions, telehealth visits). Two archival datasets from real-world video calls reveal that glitches are associated with both reduced social connection and a lower likelihood of being granted criminal parole.


Te authors find that audiovisual glitches damage interpersonal judgements because they break the illusion of face-to-face contact (by distorting, misaligning, or making movements appear ‘choppy’), evoking ‘uncanniness’—a strange or eerie feeling which exerts a negative effect on interpersonal judgements. Tese findings have important implications for digital equity. Despite being considered a boon to access, virtual communication might unintentionally perpetuate inequality, because disadvantaged groups often have poorer internet connections.


consequential life outcomes Nature, 650, December 2025 LINK TO PAPER LINK TO RIFKIN VIDEO


CONTENTS TO MAIN


| RESEARCH WITH IMPACT: CORNELL SC JOHNSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS • 2025 EDITION


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