Sometimes I feel naughty staring into their personal spaces. At first, it was glimpses of their living room or office, but as the pandemic continues, I’ll see an occasional glimpse of their kitchen, hallway closet, and with one guy, his basement. Trust me, some of the things I’ve seen range from peculiar, embarrassing, and sometimes stunning.

I’m not the only one that gets a good eyeful of life behind closed doors; everyone is doing it.

Video conferencing with people on news programs and talk shows has created what some folks call “interior design envy,” and it’s addictive.

For a few moments, you see how other people live, see their interests, their taste in artwork or furniture. The books they read, the colors they prefer, and sometimes their political views.

Of course, after seeing the inside of someone’s house, you’ll play a round of the comparison game.

“My living room is larger and has more windows than hers, but she has nice furniture and not the mis-matched pieces of junk like I have.” You see personal photos of friends and family, the occasional artificial plant, and diplomas or awards.

Most people do their video meetings or video chat in their office or living room, while others might use their dining room or hallway.

Of course, if you have a nice place and it’s clean, and you want to show it off, you select a location with a view into other rooms, but to me, that seems pompous.

Occasionally, one news program will interview a sports historian. The guy throws a sheet over his clothing, sits on the floor of his closet, and does his meeting there. That guy deserves credit for not using a fake backdrop and simply showing what his life is really like. (And yes, there are all sorts of fake backdrops people use instead of showing their own home.)

In today’s tech world, it amazes me the number of people of all ages that have bookcases full of books. Real books! That means they either love to read real books or bought a bunch of old books at a yard sale to use as props. Take notice next time someone is being interviewed from home, try and read the titles; it’s never cohesive. You’ll see books such as Understanding Your New Manual Typewriter, “125 Crazy Kittens,” “The 1952 Study Guide of Cabbage Production in Norway,” “Rebuilding Your Transmission,” “Crochet Your Own Underwear,” “Giving Birth at Home” and “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Marie Osmond but Were too Embarrassed to Ask.”

These people must think fake collections of books make the viewers think they’re smart.

I would also say framed photos of handsome people might be used as props, but many times the photos bring true meaning to the old saying, “A face only a mother could love!”

The challenges of the pandemic paired with the simple video conferencing technology have basically put a small studio in tens of millions of homes around the world.

It makes me wonder how many of those small views of someone’s home is meticulous but outside the camera’s range. Is it a pig stye or pigpen?