You might overhear many people talking about ‘Clubhouse’, yet you could not fully understand what they are talking about and why this app is suddenly getting that much hype. So, what is clubhouse, how did it start, and how can you join it?
What Is Clubhouse?
Clubhouse is a new social media platform based on voice-chat only, where people can get together in public or private chatrooms to discuss different topics.
In the words of its creators Clubhouse is described as ‘’a new type of social product based on voice that allows people everywhere to talk, tell stories, develop ideas, deepen friendships, and meet interesting new people around the world.’’
Some may draw a comparison between Clubhouse and podcasts. The difference is Clubhouse is live and more exclusive. Also, the discussions between Clubhouse users can not be saved and users are not allowed to record it.
Clubhouse users can join different rooms that discuss various topics. They either can listen to the discussion or share their opinions if they wished to.
We can say that the users are divided into speakers, listeners, and moderators that host, invite guests and facilitate the discussion.
Who Created Clubhouse?
The voice-chat app was found by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth in April 2020 and the company behind the app is Alpha Exploration Co. By May and with $12 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz the app worth was estimated with 100$ million dollars although it had 1500 users at the time.
How Can People Join Clubhouse?
We can’t say that anyone can join Clubhouse. For a start, the app is only available for iOS, the Android version is still in progress.
You might say that I am an iPhone owner so can I join? For the mean time Clubhouse is based on exclusivity and is considered an invite-only app, current users are granted 2 invitations. Once someone sends you an invitation you will receive a link that will lead you to sign-up page.
After registering your information and choosing your profile picture, you will be able to select your topics of interest e.g., tech, sports, politics, etc. Based on the topics and information you give about your interests the app will recommend individuals to follow and chatrooms to join.
Why all the Sudden Hype?
The main reason Clubhouse has made the headlines recently is its list of elite users including Hollywood celebrities, investors, influencers, etc.
The list includes Oprah, Kevin Hart, Jared Leto, Mark Zuckerberg, and other public figures.
But Clubhouse really came to the spotlight in January 2021, when Elon Musk founder of Tesla and SpaceX created his own room and discussed many subjects ranging from space travel and colonies on mars, to crypto, AI, and Covid-19 vaccines. More than 5000 Clubhouse users have joined the room, exceeding Clubhouse room limits.
Musk has surprised users when he turned the interviewer, and Vlad Tenev CEO and founder of Robinhood has showed. Tenev addressed the recent Wall Street bets debacle during the interview.
He also invited Vladimir Putin to join him for a conversation on the app, as he tweeted “.@KremlinRussia_E would you like join me for a conversation on Clubhouse?’’.
Clubhouse Important Figures
Since its launch in 2020, the invitation only app has kept on growing rapidly, below are some of Clubhouse’s most recent numbers:
- The application had 6 million registered users
- It has 2 million active weekly users
- Clubhouse was downloaded 2.3 million times in January
- It has over then 228000 ratings on the app store with a 4.9 rate
- Since May 2020, the app value has jumped to reach $1 billion dollars
With such numbers the creators have announced that they are working on launching an Android version and will improve the app by adding more accessibility and localization features so all people around the world get the chance to use Clubhouse.
For the future, Clubhouse founders are also planning to acknowledge ‘creators’ as they consider them the core of the app. They will allow creators to be paid by adding features like tipping, tickets, or subscriptions.
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