Likely Normal

There’s a special kind of workplace horror that occurs when someone joins a video call unaware that their face is currently being interpreted by an AI as a cartoon woodland creature. One moment you’re in a serious budget meeting, the next you’re being lectured about Q3 projections by a talking potato with anime eyes. The rise of video filters has turned every conference call into a potential slapstick comedy—one where you might not realize you’re the star until it’s too late.

The classic is the cat ear incident: you’re mid-presentation on supply chain logistics when a colleague whispers, “Uh… your ears are twitching.” Suddenly, you notice the horrified faces of your coworkers as your head tilts and—oh no—digital whiskers sprout from your cheeks in real time. The more you panic, the more the filter glitches, until you’re essentially a surrealist painting titled “Business Professional Meets Uncanny Valley.”

Then there’s the ”accidental Snapchat lens” phenomenon, where someone’s entire head is replaced by a pulsating heart, a glittery unicorn, or—in truly cursed cases—a hyper-realistic baby face superimposed on their adult body. They’ll spend the first five minutes of the call obliviously asking “Can everyone hear me?” while their forehead sparkles and their eyes emit literal heartbeams. By the time they notice, the entire team has silently agreed not to mention it, creating the most awkward game of chicken imaginable.

The worst offenders are the background replacements that go rogue. That serene beach scene you picked? It’s now eating your torso like a poorly rendered Pac-Man. The “professional office” backdrop? It glitches every time you move, making it appear as though you’re teleporting through drywall. And heaven help you if your filter decides to “enhance” your appearance—nothing says “I’ve given up” like your laptop subtly airbrushing your face into a wax figure while your actual eyebags could store office supplies.

These mishaps reveal an important truth: no matter how “professional” remote work gets, technology will always find ways to humble us. One day you’re a competent adult; the next you’re explaining quarterly reports while your forehead is inexplicably on fire (digitally). The only solution is to laugh it off—preferably after disabling all filters and checking your camera feed approximately 47 times before your next call.