Dreaming of talking to Mark Zuckerberg and asking Elon Musk a question? We understand you. A year ago, we would have laughed together at the magnitude of such desires, but today, after the appearance of the new Clubhouse audio social network, they seem quite real. Let’s figure out what its phenomenon is, how to get there and is it worth it?
This story began in April 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Stanford alumni Paul Davison and Rohan Seth launched a network that focuses on real-time, live communication: no text messages, no photos, no likes. Only conversation.
What is the point: network users can gather in «virtual rooms» and discuss whatever they want.
What’s the catch: You can get into the Clubhouse only by invitation from a network user, while newcomers are given only two invitations to hand. There is, of course, the option to register in the application and wait to be called, but this option is for the very patient.
It is noteworthy that recording and saving messages and conversations on third-party media is strictly prohibited by the rules of the service.
How does communication take place? A registered user sees in the application a list of «rooms» and «clubs» of those people to whom he is subscribed. Anyone can create their own “room” for a conversation, then all their subscribers will receive a notification and the opportunity to join the conversation. After that, the subscribers of those who joined will find out about the conversation, and so on — as a result, a very large number of users will know about it, if you want it. «Rooms» can be not only public, but also private or accessible only to members of a certain «club».
During the conversation, you can act as a speaker, listener or moderator: if you want to ask a question, you need to “raise your hand”, then the moderator of the meeting will turn on the microphone for you and you will speak on the topic. The app is currently free, but is currently only available for iOS devices. The interest of the audience is spurred not only by the unique format and entrance by invitation, but also by the fact that many public figures began to register in it and arrange conversations.
So, on January 31, Elon Musk became a network user, and when he announced his performance on his Twitter, an unprecedented hype erupted. Invitations to Clubhouse even began to be sold on well-known Internet resources. A week after his conversation, Mark Zuckerberg also spoke there.
Of the Russian celebrities, Dmitry Grishin, Mikhail Galustyan, Pokras Lampas, Ksenia Dukalis and Karina Istomina, Alexei Tkachuk, Nastya Ivleeva have already registered at the Clubhouse. Among the Russian-speaking community, a room called the Dacha is popular, where a variety of issues are discussed — from new technologies to the Russian bath.
Today, Clubhouse is developing at a rapid pace: as of February 2021, it already has 5 million registered users worldwide (mainly in the USA), and investors estimate the project at $1 billion. Obviously, he “shot” thanks to an idea that turned out to be in tune with our reality: in conditions of social distance, people lacked communication, many were actively looking for new forms of obtaining content.
If you compare Clubhouse with other services, then it has some advantages: it is an opportunity to communicate with interesting people that you are unlikely to meet in real life. Plus, for this it is not necessary to look good and constantly be in front of the laptop screen — you can listen to useful content and go about your business.
Will the project be just as successful in the long run? It depends on many factors. For example, on whether tons of content, which so far go into the void, will be profitable? Will the administration still be able to track users who are trying to record a conversation? Will the project survive in the fight against competitors who have already begun to assert themselves?
Time will tell, as they say. In the meantime, if you suddenly receive an invitation, you should probably try and register at least for the sake of interest and for general development.