Late last year, a group of technology executives decided to launch Clubhouse, an audio-exclusive app that allows users to chat with each other in virtual rooms.
The app drew extensive attention in January when Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg decided to hop into the app and discuss the day’s events. While the app started in April 2020 with 1,500 users, it’s grown to 6 million users. Some sources claim it has around 10 million users. Either way, it presents immense growth in such a short time.
The app is an audio-based network built around a set of “rooms” or group chats organized by specific users around particular times on topics such as politics, bitcoin, business management, and hobbies, including knitting. Each room has at least one moderator responsible for maintaining some order. Only those invited by the moderators can speak. However, anyone can join a room and listen in on the conversation, and people can “raise hands” for a chance to speak or ask questions.
Rooms sometimes center on guests as opposed to topics. There are also clubs within Clubhouse that act as private groups to enforce membership terms and restrict access to those who may have a genuine interest.
The app’s timing seems well-received. The audio platform helps fulfill many users’ deep-seated desires for conversation amid a national lockdown, when merely gathering with friends in person is discouraged. It’s also acting as a sort of counterforce to Twitter’s subtweeting culture, quote tweeting, and other subtle ways to engage in online discourse.
“It is easy to be a keyboard warrior and say mean things to people,” said Kris Ruby, CEO of Ruby Media Group. “But when your voice is attached to your avatar and social media handles, you have to think through your words. There is a level of accountability that is much greater.”
Ruby operates the Republican and Conservatives Club, which organizes weekly discussions every Saturday night with many politicians, journalists, and pundits.
Ruby’s group has attracted a significant following on the app, with around 2,000 or so attendees each week. Other political organizations have also built considerable followings on the site, such as the New Civil Rights Movement, which has nearly 8,000 members. But the political community on Clubhouse is nothing compared to its tech practitioners.
Many early adopters were Silicon Valley residents, including Jin Yu, chief growth officer at the music blockchain marketplace app Vezt. When Yu downloaded Clubhouse, he suspected it was another dating app. After some hesitance, he found himself drawn into a few rooms with relevant interests. Over time, Yu’s expertise in blockchain helped him build trust with other technologists on the platform. As of February 2021, Yu is now considered one of the top business influencers within Clubhouse and hosts several artificial intelligence, blockchain, and renewable energy rooms. Yu is enthusiastic about the future of the platform. He told the Washington Examiner that he believes Clubhouse will offer a “Golden Age of thought leadership” situated on subject experts, whether political, technological, or otherwise.
Is Clubhouse a fad, or will it hold staying power? Yu and Ruby see the platform as an ideal tool for organizing conversations and sharing ideas. But others anticipate it being a powerful tool in the electoral process, including Robby Starbuck, who entered the race for Congress in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, which is held by Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper. Starbuck told the Washington Examiner that he believes “the future of campaigning is being rewarded for transparency and being personally accessible to your voters.”
The app does come with a few systemic limits. It is only available for iOS devices and requires an invitation or signing up for a waiting list. There are a few tools within Clubhouse that allow the app to stop the promotion of misinformation in real time. Users can report or block something if they see it as necessary, but that won’t stop speakers from promoting misinformation about COVID-19. Clubhouse’s designers have stated that they intend to add moderation resources in the future.
There is also the potential of economic competition. Both Facebook and Twitter have begun incorporating audio-only options into their services, contributing to competition questions. But considering Clubhouse’s current $1 billion valuation, the early signs are that the fledgling platform may have found a niche in the social media space.
