Everyone at #CogSci2020 complained about the virtual format and hoped to return to live conferences asap. I think this attitude overlooks many issues of traditional conferences that can be solved online.

Here’s a thread about the benefits of virtual over in-person conferences.

1. Better for introverts. The ability to engage in social interactions in a controlled way - you can always put aside your computer - is a game-changer for people who get exhausted from in-person interactions.

2. Better for people who want to make the most out of the conference. The ability to watch talks/poster videos anytime - not just during their allotted slot - means that you don’t have to choose between two highly relevant talks or between these 3 posters and lunch.

3. Better for people with stage fright. I’ve heard multiple people express relief that they could pre-record their talk instead of giving it live in front of crowds of strangers.

4. Better for people with children/dependents. Many scientists, especially women, often have to miss conferences due to prohibitive costs of childcare/elderly care. Virtual conferences provide way more flexibility and reduce the number of hours the dependents need hired help.

5. Better for people with disabilities. There is a wide range of physical & mental disabilities that make it hard to travel. Live conferences mean having to go through the hurdles of traveling so that you can advance your career. Virtual conferences solve this problem entirely.

6. Better for the environment. The carbon footprint of scientists flying to the conference from all over the world is huge. Virtual conferences = no planes = drastically reduced carbon footprint.

Obviously, many positive aspects of a live conference were absent during this virtual CogSci. However, I think that many of the hurdles are technical and can be resolved with more experience/better tech solutions.

The main perks of live conferencing that can never be reproduced online are (a) an excuse to travel (b) socializing with friends at a bar. However, neither of these is essential for better *science*.

In terms of networking, I’ve been able to both catch up with some people I knew & establish new connections. It would have gone even better with a better virtual setup.

Anyways, once Covid is over, I think we need to take a moment and carefully weigh the pros and cons of virtual vs. in-person conferences before automatically going back to “normal”. That’s all.