Running into Online Classmates in Person
By Amanda Kaplowitz
Photography by Ben Parker
That weird side-eyed glance and then a quick look away. The thought, “Where do I know you from?” pops up in your head and you start racking your brain trying to place a name to a face. You try to get a better look but don’t want to make it too obvious. Suddenly you’re staring down a random stranger trying to decide if you actually know who they are. This is the new reality of running into classmates.
Last year, before the fateful switch to Zoom classes, you knew everyone who was in your class, or at least took note of some familiar faces. It was no problem pointing out people who were in your 10:20 AM. But now, online classes are making it difficult to even identify your classmates. Just another aspect of our lives that Coronavirus has changed.
Now, let’s say you do in fact know that the person you are facing is in one of your Zoom classes. How do you approach? Do you say hello? Do they know who you are? Will they recognize you outside of their computer screen? The awkwardness of running into your online classmates in person is real.
These encounters can be quite the culture shock. Instead of only seeing someone’s shoulders, neck, and head in a tiny, digital grid, you are now seeing them in the flesh — and they may look really different. Taller, shorter, maybe even more attractive than you had been anticipating.
Okay, you decide to go in for the kill and approach. You strike up conversation, with the awkward, “Are you in my Econ class?”— but then quickly realize there’s not much else to say. The interaction ends there and you both head your separate ways. But now, when the next class rolls around, what does this mean? Are you suddenly friends? Do you have a special bond after seeing them IRL?
The questions are endless when it comes to the uncomfortable reality of seeing online acquaintances in person. As if approaching classmates wasn’t hard enough pre-COVID, now there’s even more hesitation surrounding whether or not to say hello. Even if you risk the embarrassment of them not recognizing you, I’ve concluded it’s always best to just say hi. Maybe you’ll even make a new friend!