The next phase of social media — listen carefully

For those who love sending voice messages, they created a separate boiler… or rather, a social network. Guess what we’re talking about? Yes, yes, we’re talking about Clubhouse.[caption id="attachment_355" align="alignnone" width="500"] Clubhouse, Source: cyprus-mail.com[/caption] The app has already been dubbed the “TikTok killer” and an “elite geeky field,” and communication there has been compared to “networking on steroids” — after all, you can exchange a few words in Clubhouse with Elon Musk, Drake, or Mark Zuckerberg.Sound has become ubiquitous: we control lights and music with our voices, ask Google or Siri for help, wake up to Spotify, and fall asleep to podcasts. But audio is not just about podcasts and smart assistants. Innovations in sound over the next decade are expected to be on par with those that occurred in video apps. Even more new applications will appear, following today’s post hero.What is itIt’s something between conference calling, a podcast, and a live talk show. Clubhouse was launched in March 2020 and is valued at $1 billion. The beta testing stage with invite-only access is not yet over, but it already has 2 million users. The rapid growth is due to access to users’ contacts — an invite can only be sent to someone who is in your contacts. Each new user receives an invite by invitation and gets more by using the app. Currently, Clubhouse is working on an Android app and a launch for a wider audience.This is an audio-only social network. Unlike Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, Clubhouse does not use text, images, or video. Instead, rooms and “clubs” are created on the platform. Clubhouse does not depend on a network of acquaintances and is more like TikTok, trying to understand the user’s interests. The app has a calendar with reminders, where upcoming events are visible, such as a conversation about mental health or a discussion about a movie. Each room is divided into speakers, listeners, and moderators. The room limit is 5000 users. Users can join a full room if someone leaves it. Trendsetter Elon Musk created a room on February 1. It quickly filled up, so people started broadcasting the chat in other rooms and on YouTube. The app does not have a recording function, and screen recording is prohibited — videos are recorded without sound, and violations result in a ban.[caption id="attachment_361" align="alignnone" width="500"] Chat, Source: wired.com[/caption] It sounds more like Zoom without video…In a way, yes, you can always make a Zoom or Google Meet without video. But in Clubhouse, discussions are open to everyone, not just the chosen few. The lack of need to look at the screen during a conversation is another difference from regular video calls.Why is Clubhouse popularThe success of Clubhouse is very similar to the success of Pokemon Go. When Niantic’s game came out, it was summer, and millions of people were fascinated by the idea of hunting in AR. Today, on the contrary, we are isolated and locked in our homes, and our social life has been reduced to a minimum. At this time, it is especially important to hear people’s voices, not read messages in chat. Exclusivity also helped — people want what they don’t have. The app also attracted celebrities (see the next point). Who is in the appClubhouse has attracted famous people, including Jared Leto and Drake, as well as Silicon Valley elites — Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Vlad Tenev. Among Clubhouse members are Oprah, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, CBS This Morning host Gayle King, and venture capitalists such as Mark Cuban, Marc Andreessen, and Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian.[caption id="attachment_363" align="alignnone" width="500"] Elon Musk in clubhouse, Source: Adweek.com[/caption] What do they talk aboutClubhouse discusses a wide variety of topics, from advice on promoting your startup to panels on the music industry and real estate. There are rooms dedicated to influencer marketing, Dogecoin, TikTok monetization, as well as love and relationships. Sometimes rooms are created just for “good vibes.” What is happening in the Kazakh segmentIn the CIS, as in America, IT industry employees were the first to try Clubhouse. Arman Suleimenov, Olzhas Satiev, and Marat Shaken are registered in the app. But besides fintech specialists and programmers, users who are far from the world of startups come here to chat about eternal topics, and lifestyle content is becoming more and more common. Anuar Nurpeisov, Aysana Ashim, Zheka Fatbelly, Kyran Talapbek, Alisher Elykbayev, Beibit Alibekov, Son Pascal, and Dequine have been spotted.ForecastThe app has already been blocked in China due to political censorship. It is too early to say whether Clubhouse will become a mainstream platform like TikTok, but it seems promising. A larger number of users will create even more creative content, but for now, it is nice to be included in something exclusive. Unlike major social networks that are monetized through advertising, Clubhouse’s monetization will be similar to the gaming world, where donations, paid rooms, or premium features for users are common. The growth of Clubhouse, as well as such platforms as Discord, Patreon, Onlyfans, and Substack, means a return to quality content that people are willing to pay for.[caption id="attachment_364" align="alignnone" width="500"] Clubhouse and China, Source: asia.nikkei.com[/caption] On the other hand, growth may be limited due to data storage violations. Perhaps the company has data processing methods that reduce the risk of transferring contacts to law enforcement agencies. New users should think twice before clicking the “OK” button to give the app access to their contacts, regardless of how urgently Clubhouse pushes them to do so.However, Twitter is also testing a live audio chat platform called Spaces, which means that Clubhouse will face competition. Spaces will also be open to a “limited group of people” before becoming publicly available. Rumor has it that Facebook is also developing an audio chat app similar to Clubhouse, but the project is at a very early stage. Facebook has never been shy about cloning competitors’ features. And if it can’t beat competitors, it simply buys them, as it did with Instagram and WhatsApp. In November, the founder of Badoo became an investor in another audio social network, Stereo. The question is only what users will choose.