By Haiting Hu
“A live and ephemeral iPhone-only, invite-only application” that launched last March is creating a considerable stir in the market. An article in The Wall Street Journal gives us a closer look.
Is Clubhouse just a passing trend? The COVID-19 pandemic may have created the ideal condition for audio-based social media, particularly Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces, to thrive. Hordes of people isolated by quarantines or safety concerns can now simply join a conversation from anywhere. Feed-based social networks like Twitter, Instagram and TikTok “demand your fingers to scroll and your eyes to read”; however, social audio, as it has been dubbed, only requires you to listen and has become a popular alternative.
Clubhouse features conversations with big names in Hollywood, politics, and tech and creates a social environment for discussions about topics relating to various industries. Twitter’s version of Clubhouse, Space, is now being tested and is expected to launch by the end of 2021.
Although Clubhouse is gaining the most popularity, the app still has some issues. According to the article, “The Clubhouse app is aggressive about accessing the contacts on your smartphone. It’s a requirement if you want to invite others to the service. Currently, there is no way to delete contacts from Clubhouse’s servers. A company spokeswoman says the company will be adding the ability to delete contacts directly from the app soon.”
Researchers at Stanford have published a report which highlights China-based risks to security and examines the protection of user data. According to the report, in contrast to written Tweets, audio messages sent via Clubhouse do not leave a public record, a fact which could possibly hinder the monitoring efforts of the Chinese government.
Will audio-based applications be an important format for communication in the future or just another short-lived trend?