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“Hey X - I have an invite to Clubhouse and want you to join”
Are you dying to hear those words? Well, us too. And for those of you who don’t know what we’re talking about, you’re in for some interesting updates!
“What is Everyone (Including Elon Musk) Talking About?”
“Clubhouse is a new type of social network based on voice—where people around the world come together to talk, listen and learn from each other in real-time.”
Imagine you’re in a ‘clubhouse’ and you can listen to other people’s conversations in realtime (with consent and not in a creepy way). A place where people (sometimes knowledgeable and sometimes, not so knowledgeable) come together to talk about everything under the sun, from music to marxism. In short, it’s like living in a verbal Twitter world.
“Okay, that sounds cool. But how does it work?”
"Imagine if you were in class with everybody in the world," said Natasha Scruggs, an attorney from Kansas City, Missouri.
Remember a world where we used to stand in queues to get into a club? When you were on the waiting list for the fanciest restaurant in town? Well, Clubhouse works like that, literally. The app, started by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth was a way to get people to talk and share ideas, instantly, without filters, without moderation, and was initially open to only a few thousand users. Users who came from Silicon Valley, the giant capitalists, and all those who controlled the flow of money and power. The app now has more than 2 million users and is believed to be a platform where people actually get freedom of speech.
Once you get entry into the platform, you can follow people, clubs, or even specific topics. There are multiple rooms which you can enter, and follow people who are speaking there. The room creators decide who they will allow to speak and at what intervals.
“Well, isn’t it just like listening to a Podcast?”
Yes and no. Sure you get to listen to people talking about things that interest you, you have different genres and different ideas. But what sets Clubhouse apart from podcasts is its LIVE feature. Imagine, not just listening to the highlights of El Classico days after the match is over, but being a part of that discussion. Imagine talking to football enthusiasts right after a match across the world. Clubhouse is right here, right now.
“Wow! I’m going to download this right away.”
Hold up! Before you embarrass yourself, let us tell you that Clubhouse lives up to its name in every way. It’s an invite-based app, where users can only join once they have their golden ticket, i.e., invite. There’s more to it. Each user only gets two invites, and the app is only available for iPhones. You can get added to the waitlist, however, no one knows how long that list is.
In the Russian segment, there’s one major community called The Dacha (i.e., The Country Cottage), hosting conversations covering topics ranging from the importance of self-love to the future of venture capitalism.
“Who's using it anyway?”
As mentioned before, Clubhouse is a mega-exclusive platform, from people like Elon Musk to Silicon Valley acolytes. You might just get lucky and hear a conversation between Mark Zuckerburg and Elon Musk talk about virtual reality and whatnot.
"With Clubhouse, you literally never know who's going to be in a room."
“Is it going to open up anytime soon?”
Hmm, that’s an easy question with a complicated answer. Considering that Clubhouse is not the only audio-centric app, its exclusivity is what makes it so unique (amongst other things.) However, if something remains too exclusive for too long, people start losing interest.
(Source: Documentary Channel)
“Wait, what else can you do at Clubhouse?”
Scruggs imagines Clubhouse being a place for live performances, concerts, podcasts, and even the home of something akin to the radio serials of the mid-1900s, some of which could be ticketed.
“Is it safe? Secure? Moderated?”
While Clubhouse has been used by many to dedicate rooms to black issues, LGBTQ+ rights, politics there have been cases of trollish behavior and accusations of harassment, racism, and sexism. Even though each room has a moderator, and users have the option of reporting others for abuse, when conversations happen in real-time, on a platform where freedom of speech has no reasonable restrictions, they often take an ugly turn.
The app was also recently banned in China when users started talking about China’s domestic and international politics. Germany’s largest consumer protection organization calls on Clubhouse operator Alpha Exploration Co. to cease and desist from illegal business practices and data protection violations
“There’s a room on clubhouse right now that is literally just a bunch of people talking about why it’s ok to hate jews so I’m done with that app for a while.”
(Source: Reuters)
“What about differently-abled people? How do they use the app?”
Clubhouse is so exclusive, that it completely ignores the existence of differently-abled people. There is an inherent problem in the app design, with zero affordances made for deaf or hearing impaired people. There is also no support for live captioning, which means those with less than perfect hearing (or none) are excluded. From a visual point of view, the app doesn’t support text-resizing or Apple’s voiceover screen reader. The low contrast interface is another barrier for people with weak vision.
“Is it Overhyped?”
Questions around Clubhouse’s longevity and appeal are increasing, the app which attracted millions of people in the first few months of its creation is now banned in some countries. Its uniqueness is also being challenged by competitors like Twitter, which is now trying a similar feature called Spaces.
And the biggest question is, what would happen to it in a post-covid world? Will people have the time to engage in these conversations? Will the app hold importance when people will be able to meet offline?
All said and done, it looks like Clubhouse has made listening to what others have to say the new scrolling.