CNETTV
COVID-19 has changed the way we do things drastically over the last year and social media has also seen different trends and platforms emerge. The giants such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube have had to share screen time with Zoom, TikTok, and Clubhouse. I am sure you are familiar with Zoom, have heard of TikTok, but you may have some questions about Clubhouse and how the app started and rose to popularity.
How Did Clubhouse Start?
Clubhouse launched on the iOS App Store in April 2020 by its creators Paul Davison and Rohan Seth. It is an invitation only, audio chatroom based app that has become a giant hit. A month after its release the app was valued at nearly $100 million and as of January 21,2021 its valuation reached $1 billion!
Clubhouse is not like a traditional social media app where you post memes, photos, and videos. Instead, Clubhouse has different “clubs” that are like a podcast live conference with talk panels and guests. The goal of the app is to connect people and allow them to talk about topics that interest them and those in the club. Current popular topics on the app are cryptocurrency, trading cards, local bands, and many more.
How Does It Work?
Once you are invited to join the app, you can search for topics and join the discussion or be an audience member. The discussion, depending on the topic and those involved, can have anywhere from 2 to thousands of people in the room.
Clubhouse rooms typically include a host, moderators, and audience members. The host and moderators have full control over the pace of the talk, who talks, and audience members can listen, or use the “raise your hand” function to attempt to join the discussion.
Rise In Popularity
Part of the rapid growth of Clubhouse is fueled by its ability to get celebrities and experts to join the app. Elon Musk has generated a lot of attention both with his appearances on the app as well as for inviting other big names to join. Other A listers who are on Clubhouse include Kevin Hart, Mark Zuckerberg, Wiz Khalifa, Drake, Chris Rock, Oprah, and more.
There have been reports of a few technical glitches, but that is to be expected with a new app and such a rapid growing fanbase. As of time of writing this article, you can only access the app with an iPhone but its creators have said an Android version is on the way.
Final Thoughts
I think that there are a lot of great possibilities to come with the Clubhouse app. As a podcaster, I like the ability to stream a podcast with an interactive audience but do wish there was a way to save the audio within the app. People have already figured out how to record talks and post them on YouTube, but this is not an intended use within the app…yet.
I love that there is an app that encourages meaningful conversation and think the Clubhouse app is here to stay but only time will tell.
Now that you know how the Clubhouse app had its start, will you be joining the new social media sensation?
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