What the mic should I do?

Article first published for News By The Catalyst Media on Mar 31, 2021

TALK! Yes that’s what you gotta do. Social media is taking a shift towards audio and this new wave is catching up on all platforms, albeit slowly but surely. Gary Vaynerchuck predicted 4 years ago that the next big wave would be audio, and here we are living with Alexa, podcasts, rooms and spaces and of course ClubHouse. Who knew that 3 out of every 5 people would have their own podcast today? Credit also goes to 2020 and 2021 lockdowns that played a massive part in the sudden boom in podcasts. Listening is effortless and doesn’t interrupt one’s day, audio content’s peak has arrived. As a relatively new podcast listener, I know I’m a little late to this party, I am beginning to see the convenience, plus potential, that audio-based content holds. We’re looking at eliminating the hassle of getting ready, lighting, background aesthetics and so much more, phew! Now that’s a vibe.

First of all, what is ClubHouse?

Ok, I’m sure you are gagging to know the tea on ClubHouse? Is it better than your other social apps? Could you be asked to update TikTok, Instagram, check-up Twitter, learn about new marriages and babies on Facebook and Clubhouse too? Whether you’ve heard about it amongst friends or colleagues, or seen it in a tweet, you are curious but haven’t really experienced this social networking site. I heard it’s exclusive, but why? Isn’t it a social media app? “Social” is the keyword here? Like you, my curiosity got the best of me, and I dashed into my App Store to download it. Tell a girl something is off-limits and watch her getting the closest she can to it. As the app was downloading, I innocently assumed that this was just another dating app and I knew I would delete it soon as I confirmed this; or not, it’s 2021 and the pandemic cloud is showing no signs of fading (insert shrugs). Also, don’t blame me, the name, the exclusivity surrounding it, all point towards a secret dating society of sorts. What piqued my interest, and made me jump in and download the app, was the fact that it was purely an audio-based app. And considering that many social media apps are mostly visual or written content-based, I was curious as to how this worked.

ClubHouse is purely an audio-based app that allows its users to hold conversations together. A user can choose to start a conversation by creating a ‘room’ of their own or entering existing rooms and listening in—eavesdropping, without the judgement. Upon registering, the app asks for your topics of interest to curate rooms that will appear on your feed. Not all conversations are public as there is an option to have a ‘closed room’ where only invited users can enter. One thing to note is that no discussion is recorded or saved for later, everything is in real-time and once a room is closed that is the end of that conversation. There are no old rooms where you can go back to listen to the conversation, all content is live, and once it ends, it’s gone. But you know what they say about anything on the Internet, right? It never really disappears. We’ll come back to this…

Like all the other social sites ClubHouse gives the user a profile page, it has a familiar feel with the basics included; profile picture, bio, link buttons, follower counter and a list of all the clubs the user is a member of. You get notifications when someone you follow starts a room, or your club starts a new conversation.

The interface is simple and user friendly. There isn’t much to learn, just pop into a room and sit back and listen to what everyone’s saying. Got 2 cents to add, there is a ‘raise your hand’ button on the bottom of your screen, and when you press it, the moderators of the room get a notification and they ‘bring you up on stage.’ Here you will see your circle appear with all the moderators and you can now unmute your mic and be heard. Your mic is always off when you enter any room, and there is no video or chat option. Yes, no comments, no chats and no DMs- purely audio. 

You (read Android) can talk too, in Spaces

Twitter was not to be left behind after the app introduced Live audio feature called Spaces. Just like ClubHouse these are Live audio based rooms aka spaces where users come together to talk and listen. I feel like we are all in our own bubble chatting away, and what will a Kenyan space look like? Could we have Eliud Kipchoge chilling in a space with his followers? Or we could just chill out together and hear someone sleep peacefully. What a time to be alive. Also, who listens to radio anyway? 

Spaces began to roll out in early March and is expected to go public in April, on both Android and Apple. Although it still needs some work with audio glitches, and battery drainage problems users have noticed while using the feature. ClubHouse on the other hand, which is still in its beta version and in a recent townhall announcement both founders, Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, were excited to mention ClubHouse could be appearing on the PlayStore in the coming weeks. 

Spaces is very similar to the ClubHouse interface, there are speakers in the space and listeners. So you can choose to listen in or when you want to add your voice to the conversation just tap on the request to speak option and the speakers shall give access. It does come with a few additions for the listeners where they can add an emoji and turn on captions. Another pro feature about Spaces is that only 11 speakers are allotted the mic while the rest listen and await access to the mic. This is a good way to control and manage the space. While on ClubHouse the moderators can bring as many people up “on stage” to speak and there is no commenting and liking option at all on. Users have adopted the “flashing the mic”(basically tapping on the mic button continuously) way to respond in agreement with the speaker. Ah, the good old days when flashing was a privilege and sole right of lights, but we move and keep up. 

All the buzz and caution

ClubHouse quickly gained the attention of celebrities, musicians, CEOs, investors, journalists and venture capitalists and has seen exponential growth since its launch in early 2020. At present the app has 10 million users and that’s impressive considering at the end of December 2020 the app had about 600,000 users. However, ClubHouse is still in its beta version which makes the app vulnerable to hacks and breaches. There was an unfortunate data breach in February 2021, where audio was leaked but the founders assured users they have enhanced security. Data breach is not a new case for any social media app and especially the recent ones like TikTok or the meeting substitute Zoom. These cases are synonymous to newer apps as their initial servers are small and once they go viral it takes time to add muscle to their skeletal system. 

It is no doubt the app has seen massive growth and in 2021 has hosted some big names sometimes “breaking” the app as users flooded the rooms to capacity within seconds. The room capacity was recently updated from 5000 listeners to 8000 and even these rooms fill up during the weekly town hall meeting by the creators or when Elon Musk wants to drop in and mention Mars or Dodge coin. What happens outside these rooms is a whole other wild- kinda like the trending topics section on Twitter- there are separate rooms that pop up, and aptly named- Elon Musk Overflow room. Think of it as if a Live event happening inside a hall and there are smaller groups outside discussing the Live event. So much Live in our lives, keep keeping up.

I see ClubHouse as a great networking tool, I mean where else would you get to listen to CEOs, celebrities, life coaches all in one room and that too for free, and may I add at the comfort of your zone. You can freely ask questions, learn straight from industry experts, share ideas and gain partners who are willing to join in your dream project. 

The app has potential and is a perfect medium for creatives to share their art and get connected to industry players and it is understandable why it is so exclusive. Josh Felser, the co-founder of venture firm Freestyle, predicts this about ClubHouse, “It’s either dead by July, or it’s something big.”

Like LinkedIn, I find that ClubHouse holds opportunities for users to network and also open up about their feelings, work, and ideas without the toxic judgment that other social apps have. Voice is powerful, and when you speak your truth, your dream, your passion, it shows, and it commands attention. So whether ClubHouse rests in peace in July 2021 or blows, the prediction that voice is powerful and a growing trend remains.