Thank you for this thoughtful response! For what it’s worth, I agree with you that the changes made by Zoom since I wrote this article have been extremely valuable — the platform is certainly much safer now, and better adapted to offer online schooling options.

In defense of the article, my goal in writing it was not to dissuade readers from using all video conferencing technology — as you say, we are obviously not better off avoiding all video meetings just because they feel different. This article was not intended as an attack on the utility of Zoom, or any other platform; rather, it is an exploration of how Zoom can and cannot measure up to a real classroom, and a lament of the circumstances that have forced us to rely solely on these platforms. During my time taking online classes this Spring, I was struck by what I’ve labeled in this piece as "unintended publicness," and I thought that breaking down how the public and private spheres of schooling map onto the online world would help to explain that psychological letdown. I hope that that point comes across in addition to my indictment of Zoom’s (since-ameliorated) security system.