Look at your webcam, not your monitor during Zoom calls and livestreams if you don't want to appear shady

Over the past few years, you've probably started taking meetings over the internet, and you've probably noticed that your eyes are wandering around. It's a bit of a mystery what you should be looking at. Should your eyes stay off-screen to avoid eye contact? Should you be looking at your monitor while on the phone?

It turns out that you should be looking into your camera.

A new study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and the University of Stanford looked into some best practices for video conferencing and livestreaming, assuming a user wants to seem likable and trustworthy.

The study looked at how one's eyes look during a video call, the distance they are from their camera, and the camera angle to determine Impression Formation from Video Conference Screenshots.

The photos were used in the study. Credit is given to the following:

The most positive response from the audience was when the person looked into their camera.
It can be difficult to maintain eye contact in a video chat, even though it may seem obvious. To maintain eye contact with someone, you need to look at your camera. For you, the speaker, your eyes would have to look over at your screen to see the reactions from your audience.

Your camera angle is a factor in how people view you in a video conference. A high camera angle makes for a more personable presence. If you've ever watched a person hold a camera at a low angle in a rant on social media, you'll understand. The videos can give off a threatening vibe. Nobody watching your livestream wants to see your nose.

The distance between you and your camera did not have an effect on your trustworthiness. Do not position the camera so close that it makes viewers uncomfortable, or so far away that they can barely make out your expressions.
There are a couple things to keep in mind. First of all, it used speakers in video conferences, not a video chat. The results are drawn from a "convenience sample" of about 4,000 online survey participants, as opposed to a more formal test in a lab setting.

If you want to avoid being seen as shady in a video conference, you should keep your eyes on yourWebcam and camera angle high.