It’s one of those apps that you simply had to have on your smartphone, back in the beginning of 2021. We’re talking about Clubhouse. But what about the app today?
Suddenly half the world seemed to be talking to each other. Because Clubhouse has started a trend: Voice-based chat rooms. Here people really talk to each other and not just type messages back and forth. Many celebrities took part, of course Elon Musk, Joko Winterscheidt or Mark Zuckerberg. And now? Haven’t heard from Clubhouse for a long time. Will the app go down in internet history as a pseudo-giant?
Clubhouse offers entertainment – but by invitation only
For starters, circumstances at the start of 2021 have certainly played a significant role in Clubhouse’s rapid rise. Back then, people longed for closeness due to the corona-related lockdown. Voices and conversations conducted via app therefore help to forget the loneliness in your own four walls for a brief moment. Clubhouse therefore enters the stage at exactly the right time.
In addition, the impression initially arises that the app is an exclusive club. Because in order to be able to take part in the discussions, users need an invitation. At least that gives the impression of exclusivity. The real reason why Clubhouse initially only allows invited visitors into the audio chats, however, has a completely different cause. In fact, the server capacities are not sufficient at the beginning to cope with the expected rush of users.
Hype despite a bumpy start
The entire Clubhouse market entry looks extremely unprofessional in retrospect. Because initially there is only one app for the iPhone. The Android app will appear much later. Most Clubhouse users have long since turned their backs on the app. How could Clubhouse still trigger such a hype?
The idea of speaking and speaking to others on specific topics in chat rooms has potential. Here, Clubhouse has made a mark beyond the initial hype. Because other social media channels, such as Twitter or Facebook, very quickly imitated the clubhouse principle on their platforms. There is a great desire among Internet users to exchange information with one another in direct dialogue.
In the meantime, however, the real world is again competing much more strongly with the virtual temptations for the scarce commodity of time. With the pandemic-related isolation now gone, many people are enjoying socializing again. The real chat is just more tempting.
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Audio chats have a future
Nevertheless, the topic of audio chat is far from off the table. Many professionals see tremendous opportunities in certain areas. The Locker Room app was recently purchased by Spotify. With this app, users only talk about sports topics. Spotify uses the structures of “Locker Room” for its own app “Greenroom”. Audio chat rooms are now simply called Spotify Live.
Here, Spotify users can create their own themed rooms or join existing rooms to talk shop with other guests about musical topics. In such monothematic audio chat rooms, many social media professionals see the future of the format.
LinkedIn has also jumped on the clubhouse train and is offering live rooms where users can exchange words and images in real time. There is therefore definitely a market for voice-based chat rooms. Clubhouse paved the way for this.
Also read: Spotify vs. Apple Music – which service comes out on top?
Clubhouse has improved
So Clubhouse is definitely not dead yet. The makers of the app used the time to fix some vulnerabilities. The program is now available for iOS and Android. The server capacities have been significantly expanded. Now anyone who wants to can participate in Clubhouse discussions. The invitations are gone.
Clubhouse has also made the app more reliable when it comes to data protection. Hacked user data should no longer appear publicly in any forums on the Internet. In addition, the audios are recorded in the rooms and stored at least temporarily. If users express anti-Semitic or racist comments or otherwise attract attention with linguistic failures, something can be done about it, the clubhouse makers announce.
It is still unclear where Clubhouse is going in the future. The rapid crash of the app may be due to completely exaggerated expectations on the part of the experts. That wouldn’t be the first time in the digital world – keyword: dot-com bubble. Back in the late 1990s, any company that had anything to do with the internet was considered the next big thing. The companies could hardly save themselves from investors. A speculative bubble formed, which burst in March 2000 with a loud roar.
After Clubhouse disappeared from the public eye, the developers got important things going. It remains to be seen whether that will be enough to turn a pseudo-giant into a real giant on the second try. In any case, the user’s desire for real communication in the virtual world does not seem to have been satisfied yet, as the examples of Spotify and LinkedIn show.