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At the beginning of the year, many tried desperately to get access to the social media novelty "Clubhouse". Now, two months later, we ask ourselves: do we really still need the app?
A few weeks ago the social media app "Clubhouse" started a real hype in Europe with its audio-based system. Everyone wanted the app, only a few managed to create one of the coveted profiles. Why? The "Invites Only" principle restricts access - only a few selected people got hold of an invitation link and were able to register on "Clubhouse".
A few weeks have now passed, and interest in the app has flattened out. There are still active users, but the hustle and bustle around it is gone
The system of the app
For the few who are not familiar with "clubhouse": The app is a kind of discussion room, so it works without pictures or videos, and only with the voices of the participating interlocutors. You can imagine the app as hundreds of "rooms" full of live podcasts - the topics of the "rooms" range from nutrition to music, from media criticism to travel. But you can just keep quiet there together - in the silent room.
As an app user, you can not only listen to the moderators of the rooms, but also take part in the conversation yourself if you have the room founders activate you.
Prominent audience
In the meantime, individual media houses even share their editorial meetings on the platform. But internationally famous audiences can also be found at "Clubhouse": greats like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg got a taste for the audio-only app and have hosted talks. According to reports in the New York Times, the Facebook boss is already working on a competitor for "Clubhouse" at the same time.
Criticism of the app
Due to the boom in Europe, there was also some criticism. We already reported on this in detail in January. The short version? Above all, users and media experts criticize the inadequate data protection and the lack of accessibility, which means that the app is not accessible to many (non-hearing) people. In the rooms there is no final control moderation of what is being said - so there have already been talks that got out of hand, in which racist or misogynistic was expressed without contradiction. Plus: the app is only available for iPhone users. The "Invites Only" principle also creates the impression of exclusivity, which means that the coveted invitation links are even offered on the Internet for up to 150 euros.
2 months clubhouse
Conclusion
Clubhouse has not (yet) managed to overtake social media giants like Instagram and Tiktok. For everyone who is allowed to be there, it is a nice pastime on some rainy days. And: if you do it cleverly, you can join the discussion in very prominent groups. Nevertheless - our forecast: As soon as Corona is over and the weather is nicer, the clubhouse will be empty …
