Video conferencing has quickly become the dominant internet condition, with social media in its familiar co-starring role as ‘second screen’ distractor. In this initial phase of mass adaptation, video calls take up all our attention. Zoom, Teams and all the rest are not yet part of the mediascapes that run in the background, as information noise, the way we’re utilizing radio and television (but also podcast). Early webcam culture such as JennyCam emphasized environmental awareness over the direct communicative messaging of the phone call. We can compare video calls with the centrality of the radio set in the living room during the 1930s and 40s, a position which was taken over by the television set in the 1950s and 60s, sitting in a chair, in front of the magic device. His Masters Voice. Let’s also signal that students are the first to rebel against the disciplinary claims to sit still in front of the webcam by massively switching off their cameras. However, this is not possible in the work situation. What makes current video set up so demanding is precisely its ongoing demand for our attention. The interface design tires our eyes. Intuitively, the subconscious focus remains on our self-image. Apart from the occasional PowerPoint presentation, here is the action? We look and look but can’t really find the centre of our attention.