Digital etiquette and technical difficulties dominate our new social lives. We strive to glimpse our friends’ faces or our teacher’s new pet through tiny windows on our screens. Video calls, it seems, have provided the perfect remedy for our social isolation.

In reality, video call services have been around for a while. Remember FaceTime? Developed by Apple, the app has been a constant fixture of devices since 2010. It faced little competition—that is, until Zoom came into the picture.

Zoom, an app released by Eric Yuan in 2011 yet seems to have existed only since yesterday, has suddenly transformed into the latest trend. Gallery view is a miracle, and teachers now delight in the power to mute students. Still, news of troublemakers hacking into meetings has raised doubts surrounding the security of Zoom.