Culture

People Are Sharing The Iconic Backgrounds You Can Use To Spice Up Your Next Zoom Meeting

From BBC Dad to the "casting couch" -- there's a perfect background for every Zoom call.

by Michelle Rennex  2 April 2020
how to change your background on zoom

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As at-home self-isolation has become the norm for people across the world, Zoom and other video calling services have become more important than ever.

With bosses trying to communicate with staff and classes attempting to operate as normal, video chatting has proven to be a great way to connect with people without leaving home. But, as with anything, there have been some learning curves which have given us some hilarious results.

First there was the student who forgot to switch off her camera when going to the bathroom, which was followed by Miles ripping a bong mid-class. Then we had the pants-less husband who walked right into his wife’s video call.

But sometimes these technological fails come from a total lack of knowledge when it comes to video conferencing apps. As was the case with Potato Boss, who couldn’t quite figure out how to change her filter settings during a (now iconic) staff meeting.

Once you’ve understood how to use the app, Zoom can be a whole lot of fun — especially when you realise you can change your background to whatever you want.

How To Change Your Background

First thing’s first: You need to know how to actually change your background in Zoom.

To do this you need to find the “Preferences” shortcut in the Zoom app — this is under the zoom.us tab. Once there, head to “Virtual Background” and select “Choose Virtual Background”.

From here, click the plus sign and upload your selected image. You may need to download the in-app extension to make your transition smoother, but honestly it’s worth it.

Also, it probably goes without saying but probably don’t do it if your work meeting is super formal. But if you’re having a casual chat with co-workers or using Zoom to catch up with friends and family, changing your background can make this whole self-isolation thing a whole lot more enjoyable.

All The Iconic Backgrounds You Can Use

To help you out, people have started sharing the most iconic scenes that make for a great background for your next video conference call. From memes to movies, each background is the perfect way to spice up your upcoming meeting.

Originally shared by uni student Shelby Dodds, her thread of iconic backgrounds went viral in less than 24 hours. Starting by uploading the set from iCarly and the iconic wall from The Office, Shelby also showed that memes are great backdrops too with jpg’s of Distracted Boyfriend and ‘This Is Fine’.

Continuing the thread, Shelby followed the original photos with scenes from shows like Netflix’s absolutely bonkers Tiger King, cult-classic Friends and childhood fave, SpongeBob SquarePants.

Even the Club Penguin’s arctic backdrop and the toilet paper aisle of your local grocery store were deemed Zoom background-worthy.

After Shelby’s thread went viral, people started to share their own favourite scenes that could work for Zoom too. Some safer for work than others, the casting couch and a prison cell are undoubtably some hot contenders for some non-office chats.

Whereas the generic Windows XP desktop image and iconic screenshot of BBC Dad with his interrupting family make for a perfect work-safe backdrop.

To show you that these backgrounds actually work and make things a whole lot more fun, a few people gave them a go. And honestly? They look like they work great so go forth and spice up your next meeting.