Why Is Everyone Talking About Clubhouse?

By Tran Duy Minh

The first time I wandered around the Clubhouse app, I felt like I was in a coffee shop with people sitting around talking and telling different stories. I grabbed a seat and joined in. I loved it!

On a professional level, experiencing Clubhouse is like going to a big convention and discovering many rooms filled with bustling conversations on appointed topics. You can enter any room to listen and share your opinions or ideas. Yes, it’s like being at a virtual conference, but it’s more relaxed and fun, not so serious.

All you need to concentrate on doing is listening and talking. 

How It Works

Clubhouse is a social network based on voice and a place for auditory stories.

Because it’s voice-only and you never work with your camera on, the developers hope you won’t be concerned with “eye contact, what you’re wearing, or where you are”. It gives people everywhere the opportunity to talk, tell stories, innovate ideas, grow friendships, and meet interesting new people all over the world.

Here you can listen in or share your thoughts on so many subjects. Just drop into your favourite rooms, and whenever you want to share your opinion, “raise your hand” and take the virtual stage. Enter a room, “take a seat” to listen in or join in the conversation

The people behind the idea say, “We designed Clubhouse with the belief that people are at the centre of every moment.” Their aim is to provide a space where your and others’ voices are respected and heard.

Making Connections Through Voice

Clubhouse is a great place to meet, talk and share your thoughts. It is easy to use, allowing you to make and join “rooms” where you can have the kind of conversations you really want. 

The app doesn’t allow you to share photos, videos, or even text, except when you send direct messages. It’s all about listening and talking!

One of the beauties of it is that you can just join any room by tapping on it. Without invitation, you can hop in or hop out of any discussion freely. You join as an audience member but, if you want to say something, you tap on the “raise your hand” icon, and the host can choose to invite you to join the conversation. 

Many Clubhouse rooms are hosted by experts,  influencers, celebrities, journalists, CEOs, etc. You can also host your own space and create private rooms for your friends. 

One advantage of the audio-only format is you can use the app to connect with active communities while doing other things such as cleaning your house, washing the dishes, taking care of your baby, folding your laundry, or commuting. Moreover, because there is no typing, all your intonation and emotion can be clearly conveyed through your voice. 

You can meet people in several ways in Clubhouse. Scroll through diverse topics until you find one you want to engage in or find people and clubs to follow. In the “hallway” (the app’s homepage), you can see and join many rooms related to your interests, which you can modify in the app’s settings. 

With the “Upcoming For You” feature, you can see dates for events containing topics and conversations that are interesting to you or with people you would love to meet. When you visit any user’s profile, you can tap on the “star” icon to see other similar users.

The app encourages you to get to know other people by looking at profiles, joining conversations and exploring new topics and rooms as you make connections. 

Clubhouse Origins

The iOS app was released in April 2020 by ex-Google employees Paul Davison and Rohan Seth. In May that year, a mere month after its launch, CNBC reported that Clubhouse was valued at around $100 million while possessing just 1,500 users!

It has constantly been growing its number of users and reached the 600,000 mark in December 2020, 2 million members in January 2021 and 10 million users by February 2021. 

Many of Silicon Valley’s CEOs, such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, have spoken in Clubhouse rooms, bringing interest to the app. Its trendiness exploded when Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed up on the app, joining a Good Time Show talk.

At the start, Clubhouse was an invite-only social app with the goal of creating a “quality over quantity” community. Currently, it is open for everyone and is now available globally on iOS and Android. To join this rapidly growing social network, anyone can go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, download the app and make an account right now.

So why not download the Clubhouse, sign up for an account, and dive into the conversations that matter to you. Happy talking!