Imagine a bunch of people wanting to talk non-stop about a variety of subjects without being able to sit down at a bar due to the pandemic. This could have been the premise that led Paul Davidson and Rohan Seth to create the social network of the moment, since it fits perfectly with the current reality. However, this is just one way of describing Clubhouse, the new app that everyone is talking about at the moment. We have already tested the new chat tool, find out what we think.
The (rapid) trajectory of Clubhouse
The audio social network was created in March 2020 by a very small startup. Throughout the year, it experienced little growth and remained almost unnoticed. However, the app saw a boom in numbers after the last Sunday of January this year, with a 525% increase in Google searches. This is because on that date, Elon Musk participated in a chat on the network, talking about the app Robinhood.
And it's not just the CEO of Tesla who is making Clubhouse popular. Jared Leto, Drake, Oprah Winfrey and other stars are on the network. With its growth in Brazil, our celebrities have also joined this trend. In fact, Caetano Veloso was seen (and heard) in a room alongside other big names.
The buzz about the new social network is so great that there are already people selling invitations to join it. In addition, the app has already been banned in China after some chats about the country's political issues gained volume.
But enough of the chatter. Check out the new app and find out what we noticed when using the new audio chat network.
How works
Clubhouse is a social network whose main structure is audio chat rooms about a wide range of topics. To join the network, you need to receive an invitation from a friend or wait in a queue. Still in the testing phase, the app is only available for iOS.
Once you have your account on the network, you must mark your interests and start following people (and being followed back). This will guide the entire dynamics of the application. On the main screen, chats appear according to your interests or those in which the people you follow are participating. To enter these rooms, just tap on them and you can listen to the conversation and see who is participating.
There are three levels of chat rooms that you can create or join: public, social and closed. In the first, anyone can follow the conversation or participate in it. In the social chat, only followers of the person who created the room can participate. In the closed chat, only those who are allowed to join by the creator of the room can join.
Raise your hand to speak
When you join a chat, you will automatically start listening to the conversation and will see that it is divided into speakers, followers and listeners. The moderator (or the person who created the chat) determines who can speak. You can press the raise hand button to ask permission to be a speaker, leave the room, view the rules or simply stay there and listen to the conversation.
At the top of the main screen, you will find the search icon with which you can search for people or chats, the tool to invite your contacts to the network, the classic bell that shows notifications and access to your profile and account.
There’s also a calendar icon that shows you scheduled chats and information such as the time and date they’ll start. By tapping on the scheduled conversation, you can set a reminder for it in your Google or iPhone calendar.
At the bottom of the main screen, you will find the button to start a new room and an icon that allows you to see the people who follow you.
what will you find
Don't be alarmed if your home screen looks like a veritable pandemonium of chats. You'll find rooms that suit your interests in a variety of languages and in many different formats. There are rooms that are almost like clubs or bars. You enter and there's music playing, some people chatting, and you can ask to join the conversation and meet new people. There are also more serious ones where you enter to listen to the debate on a particular topic.
And the filter is not very accurate. In my case, for example, I saw rooms with language courses, political debates, some chats in Korean, Japanese and Chinese that I didn't understand anything about (for obvious reasons of not speaking the language), even comments from BBB, conversations about energy flow in the chakras and lectures on how to create content for social networks.
Considerations
When I first used Clubhouse, I felt a mix of things. First, the app seemed a bit confusing to use right away. With a little courage, you start to use the tools and discover that it's not that complicated. But it's inevitable that it can be a bit chaotic.
For heavy social media users (like me), Clubhouse will seem like an extension of Twitter, Reddit, or even LinkedIn. Not only because most of the people I follow are on these networks too, but also because of the chats themselves. In some, the conversation flows freely, with laughter and all kinds of comments. In others, the chat feels like a formal lecture given by people in ties.
As you start to understand the network better and find chats that you like, it's natural to feel super connected. In fact, in the beginning, the app satisfies the social need to chat or feel part of a conversation. After a while, you can already say that you are a clubber or clubhouser (what are the names of the users?).
The closeness and intimacy of audio
Another point to be raised by the Clubhouse experience is the reflections it caused me (and I believe many people must be thinking the same). First, you can enter a room with your idols, like Caetano Veloso himself or Alice Caymmi in my case, and even though you are just listening, it is inevitable to feel a much greater closeness with them than text interactions on Twitter, for example. Second, because it is a network of audio conversations, people seem to maintain a cordial tone different from the more “warm” chats that occur in other spaces. Furthermore, at a time when we are staying home more due to the pandemic, having a social need met in this way scares me a little. What impacts does all this have? I will leave it to the academics to research.
Philosophical matters aside, Clubhouse can be an interesting network to spend some quality time laughing or chatting about absolutely anything. Especially if you like talking or having an experience closer to real social contact.
Image: Pcruciatti (Shutterstock)