Social media platforms!!!! As soon as someone talks about this word, you start thinking about Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Within a few years, Tiktok became a very popular social media platform for its unique short video feature.
So, we have Twitter for texts, Instagram for Photos, Facebook for lots of faces. Are we missing anything here? Yes, and that is an audio-based social media app. To your surprise, there is a popular social media app based on audio content called Clubhouse.
It’s not a random app that is used by a bunch of youngsters. The fan base of this app is very solid. TV personalities, actors, and politicians are the users of this app.
Can you use it? Is it available in your country? You searched it in Play Store but did not find it? You found it on the App Store but can’t log in? Let’s go through the details about the Clubhouse to know all these answers.
Brief History of Clubhouse
Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, co-founders of Clubhouse, know each other since 2011. Both are crazy for social products. They were working on different apps in the beginning. Working on different apps for a decade, they again met in 2019 related to some other work. Both discussed the Clubhouse concept and thought to give it a try.
The Clubhouse was launched in March 2020. The main goal of the social app was to have more human connection instead of random postings. After failing in different projects, Paul and Rohan hit the right chord together.
The app got popular within 10 months of launch. Beta Testing saw a lot of positive responses. Last week, 2 million users came to the Clubhouse platform to talk, meet, and connect. These users were Scientists, musicians, creators, comedians, Parents, Entrepreneurs, etc.
Features of Clubhouse App
The clubhouse has a room concept where you can connect with people through voice notes. You can discuss many topics related to social, personal, and professional life.
Another interesting feature of the clubhouse is that the audio content is not saved in the app. If you are not there in the room, you will miss the discussion permanently.
For entertainment purposes, you can have rooms filled with comedians, talk shows, game shows, NBA briefing, Singing, sharing technical tips, etc.
The company is planning to avail Clubhouse app to the world in 2021. Right now, it’s only available for iOS users. These iOS users don’t have direct access. They should have an invite to join the Clubhouse. An invite through friends or you can request an invite online.
Through a user invite, you can join the platform instantly. If you apply for the invite over the app, you will be added to the virtual waitlist that may be cleared in a few weeks. You can reserve a username without an invite for future use.
Without an invite, celebrities can join the platform. Celebrities who have tried the app include Oprah, Ashton Kutcher, and Chris Rock.
Activist DeRay McKesson and the writer Shaka Senghor is also using the Clubhouse app to share their views about police and criminal justice-related reforms. Van Jones, one of the known political analyst, has also joined the platform. Currently, the Clubhouse is very popular in the USA. Most of its users and celebrities belong to the US.
The clubhouse is working on an Android version of the app to attract more people. With a sudden rise, Clubhouse found difficulty in giving the seamless service. With more users, Clubhouse plans to bring more safety and security with the capable support team.
With the help of a Machine Learning algorithm and AI features, the company plans to bring a more personalized experience for the users. Based on their interest and past discussion, users may find new room suggestions.
Fundraising and Creator Payments
Fundraising has become easy for the company after such popularity. The clubhouse has around 180 small and big investors. Two days back, Clubhouse raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Andreessen Horowitz in a Series B funding round. With the latest funding, company valuation stands around $1billion. The company decided to invest the current funds in technological infrastructure.
To support current creators, Clubhouse is going to monetize their work. The creators will get paid for their work. Creator Grant Program is a unique initiative that will be started soon with the help of the current round of funding.
Experts believe that once the app is open for all, its popularity may go down. Currently, Clubhouse users are enjoying the exclusivity.
Controversies Related to Clubhouse Social Media App
The clubhouse has also been involved in the controversial discussion within a short period. As Per Bloomberg, there was a conversation in late September called “Anti-Semitism and Black Culture,” which several attendees said invoked negative Jewish stereotypes. The moderator of the conversation, Ashoka Finley, apologized on Twitter.
I apologize to anyone who felt threatened or harmed by anything said in the CH room I started tonight. I had no intention of negativity.
— ashoka finley (@lifesupremacist) September 29, 2020
Another lady writer Taylor Lorenz also complained about the harassment in one of the Clubhouse rooms. Sara Mauskopf, CEO of daycare startup Winnie said that there’s a room in the 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.
Handling Moderation will be the biggest headache for the Clubhouse team. In an official blog post on October 1, the Clubhouse team cleared the doubts about some controversial issues. They said the team condemns anti-black, anti-semitism, and all types of racism, abuse, and hate speech on the platform.
To minimize such unwanted incidents, the Clubhouse is hiring more efficient moderators and providing them with better tools to check the current conversations happening on the platform.
The clubhouse is also providing extra privilege to room creators for providing rules and regulations to the members of the room.
Conclusion
It is very early to give a verdict about the future of the Clubhouse. As the app grows with more user base, things will be more clear. Current popularity has given a thumbs up for the founders of Clubhouse.
The app initially got popular among the Silicon Valley crowd. Currently, it has 600000 users. The platform will surpass the first million users in the next few days. CEO Paul confirmed that the app has 2 million weekly users. a user rating of 4.9 on the App Store by more than 1 lakh users shows the acceptance and popularity of the new social media app.
