There was definitely a free video call with the grandkids sort of thing going on. But I'm not sure how common it was in general. I certainly never did personal video calls.
It was coming in anyway in business. We'd been steadily ramping up our video calls for a few years prior to the pandemic. Now it's pretty much universal even if not everyone keeps their camera on depending on the circumstances.
This is not the point of the article. Being a complete substitute is the point. Have a look at travel expenses: No need to meet in person anymore. Almost. ;)
