“Another social media app?” Yes, we can’t keep up either. While Gen-Zers are pioneering the TikTok trends that ultimately get reposted on Twitter and Instagram Reels weeks later, Clubhouse is the older, new kid in town that actually has a driver’s license and doesn’t only sing about it. The audio-based app has quickly become the go-to hangout spot for many tech and entrepreneur giants from the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg to even perhaps Kanye West in the future.
What’s Clubhouse?
Currently only available on iOS, Clubhouse was founded in 2020 but recently gained traction in early 2021 when more high-profile users joined the app. It’s a Discord-like app in the sense of community, only Clubhouse thrives on exclusivity. You need an invite from someone already with an account to actually use the app, and it’s gotten to the point where people are willing to sell their invites on eBay for upwards of $83USD (you only get a few to give away when you sign up.) I, myself, somehow miraculously received an unsolicited invite from an influencer friend (thanks for the hook-up, Eylul) and even so have been having a hard time getting used to the user interface of the app. The app is based only on audio, like a podcast, but it happens in real time and isn’t recorded, fueling major FOMO (fear of missing out.) Participants can join “rooms,” where the host can appoint “speakers” while the rest of the participants listen in or ask for permission to speak. The topic can be about anything at all, the app acting like a public town square or a Zoom conference call without the video. There are rooms for writers, photographers, yogis, marketers and everything else you can think of. Some agencies are even already hiring Clubhouse managers, to help moderate clients’ own Clubhouses in their respective industries.
While there are more “corporate” uses for Clubhouse such as hosting what we would normally describe as a “webinar,” the most fun use I’ve seen is people using it for casual chitchat and networking. For example, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 p.m., I hop on a room called “NYU Girls Roasting Tech Guys: A bar simulation,” where the room’s purpose is exactly that: to feel like you’re at a bar. Everyone in the room is supposed to have a drink, and the speakers (the NYU girls), bring people “onstage” to shoot their shot at anybody in the audience if they wish, sort of how they would do IRL at a bar.
Controversy
While the social media sphere is abuzz with this new app populated by older millennials and ‘boomers,’ there has been controversy surrounding content moderation (or lack of) when it comes to certain topics. As you can imagine, with the app allowing anyone to talk about whatever they want, some critics pointed out there have been rooms where participants are freely being anti-Semitic, racist and downright calling for journalists to be jailed. Clubhouse has a blocking feature a little harsher than most social media apps, where hosts can kick out any participant they wish, banning them from ever participating in a discussion that may warrant journalistic coverage (see: Elon Musk and GameStop). The Times published a piece and in it, addresses the problematic components the app hasn’t addressed, with tech reporters lobbying for a way they can do their job without a bad faith campaign being launched at them. Clubhouse has also been banned in China (surprise, surprise.)
Copy Cats
Like with any popular thing, Clubhouse-copycats are already popping up on well-established social networks. Twitter has launched its “Twitter Spaces,” which seems to be a direct replica of Clubhouse, except on the Twitter platform. While the kinks are still being ironed out (and it’s still only available on iOS), the feature is still being beta-tested and is being rolled out to a few thousand users. Facebook has also announced they’re building a product to compete with Clubhouse, though it’s still in its early stages.
A Digital Strategist weighs in
Is Clubhouse the new rising social media star? Many think so, and it just might change the way ideas and content are shared online, feeding on the need for community and connection in a time of COVID-19. Kristin F. Simmons, a Digital Strategist and public speaker with more than a decade’s worth of experience under her belt, started frequenting the app in January 2021.
“People are excited because you have a chance to be in touch with people you normally wouldn’t have an opportunity to be in touch with,” Kristin said via Zoom call, citing rooms hosted by many well-known industry leaders in their respective fields. When it comes to the content moderation, Kristin said “the better the focus, the better the outcome,” as a room could easily be overpowered with too many people pitching their own businesses. This speaks true to the power a good moderator holds.
When I asked her about the criticisms certain rooms and their content have faced, Kristin points out users have to bring that same level of professionalism to Clubhouse as they would anywhere else.
Like anything else, there are already talks on how to make money from something that is seemingly widely successful (for iPhone users, at least).
“There is pressure to monetize,” Kristin said, adding that the app should be an alley for organic growth.
As for the eyebrow-raising percentage of popular users (mostly venture capitalists) being white and male, Kristin believes more gender diversity needs to be represented.
“[The app] is way too male,” Kristin mentions. “Like many things in our lives,” she adds as an afterthought.
Will Clubhouse last? The digital strategist thinks not likely, at least not in its current manifestation, where functionality and search-ability are iffy, and where it also looks like speakers use it as their own personal soapbox.
“What works about [Clubhouse] is that audio-only is a much-needed break from our screens. You don’t need a blue light-blocker for Clubhouse.” Nuanced connection is needed, she said, and she wishes for the exclusivity to go away.
There’s also the formulaic response most people have when something new has lost its shine: looking forward to the next thing. The ultimate question, as Kristin said, in such a fast-paced digital world is always, inevitably: “What’s next?”