Clubhouse is one of the top trending social media apps at present. It has become so popular among the masses that it has been termed “the next big thing” from Silicon Valley. If you have not heard of Clubhouse, this is the perfect blog to read. Clubhouse serves as a premium audio-only social media platform that comprises numerous celebrities, talent shows, and deeply thought-provoking conversations. This write-up serves as a brief but comprehensive insight into the Clubhouse App.
Clubhouse was launched in 2020 as a platform available to only “highly-exclusive members” with the option of the members inviting other audience members to access the content on the Clubhouse App. At present, the invite option is still in effect, which restricts the number of audiences. However, the founders of Clubhouse have started to remove the invite option in a matter of few months to allow more content creators to reach more audiences.
It is interesting to see that Clubhouse has only been around for a year and is worth $4 Billion in the region. And the best part is that there is still room for further improvement as the work to make the App available to the masses is underway.
To not feel alienated, we have done some digging and research to understand precisely the dynamics of this new trending app.
What is Clubhouse?
Every social media platform has its purpose. Twitter, for instance, is a platform to highlight and start a thread on many different issues and happenings. Instagram is all about sharing your moments with people. Facebook serves as a platform to stay connected with the global society. Clubhouse serves as an audio-only platform. Meeting and discussion sessions held on platforms such as Zoom, and Teams were not strangers to blunders such as awkward walk-ins, blur backgrounds, and suiting-up to be in front of the camera. These elements take the focus off of the discussion. Clubhouse being an only-audio platform allows the members to focus upon the conversation with total concentration.
The appearance and UI of the app are simple. Once inside Clubhouse, you will see different “rooms” where people will be talking on various topics. For example, you may come across a room with Ashton and Oprah talking in. You can also participate in the discussion by using the “raise hand” feature. It is also interesting to note that you can jump in and out of one room to another room.
Clubhouse provides you access to debates, lectures, performances, book clubs, comedy shows, and jamming sessions for free. The only possible drawback is that these sessions cannot be recorded. You will be notified that the session is being recorded. The only reason for this is to provide a platform where people can engage in a free and healthy discussion without worrying about the recording being spread to the general public and misinterpreted.
Who Uses Clubhouse?
Clubhouse is commonly used by celebrities and highly influential individuals, which is one of the key reasons why many people have been attracted to this new platform. Oprah, Kevin Hart, Drake, Chris Rock, Ashton Kutcher, and Jared Leto are some of the most common hosts of Clubhouse rooms. Clubhouse has become an important networking tool and a status symbol as well. The entertainment sector is one of the most users of the audio-only platform, with Tiffany Haddish being the 1st user to pass 1 million followers on the app. However, the app reached new heights when Elon Musk made an appearance.
Lower Rate of Installs
As per data and install rates, it should be stated that Clubhouse’s top priority is not to increase the number of downloads. As a result, the discovery algorithms have been unable to keep up, and privacy issues have risen. Before expanding the audience size, it is essential to strengthening the infrastructure first. It should also be noted that the founders have repeatedly promised that an Android compatible version of the App will be launched soon, which is challenging to believe, keeping in mind the issue as mentioned above.
Other reasons identified by numerous sources such as CNBC have stated that the users are no longer interested in the App and have reported the content to be of poor quality. Reports that many current users find the quality of content on the platform to be lacking. A user has was quoted saying: “I tried to get into it for a bit, but the only rooms it was showing me were run by the kinds of people who unironically call themselves ‘growth hackers.” If they try to improve their content or rooms at large, they might get their users back. However, supporters of the app have stated that while the iOS install rates have fallen, there is still an appeal and expected high demand on Android.
Is Clubhouse Still Relevant?
Clubhouse is similar to Snapchat in terms of its situation when Instagram launched the story feature that almost ended Snapchat. Snapchat reassessed its values and further worked on them to provide a niche experience to the users. It focused more on allowing the users to develop intimate and personal connections than to connect with many followers.
Clubhouse should take a similar approach and improve the quality of the content broadcasted while providing an exclusive and premium experience. But, again, the focus should be on increasing the rate rather than the quantity. To grow, Clubhouse must do this quickly and effectively.
