Is Clubhouse The New Facebook?

What is Clubhouse and what makes it Different from other social media platforms?

There are a few things that differentiates Clubhouse from other social media platforms. It is entirely an audio based platform which enables voice rooms to allow for real-time social networking. You don’t need a camera or a keyboard to chat with others and with a few clicks, you can join any room and have real-time conversations. Another unique feature of Clubhouse is that new users can only join via invitations from existing users, which provides exclusivity to its members.

What makes this app really cool? It allows users to overhear people such as Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg talk about the next AI feature in real time.

What Tech stack used for this app?

Clubhouse uses a service called Agora. Agora is a fast growing CPaas (Communications Platform as a Service) provider delivering real-time voice and video engagement platforms to developers internationally. Agora’s API allows Clubhouse to focus its resources on user experience and interface design.

What is Clubhouse’s Business model?

Although users can only join Clubhouse via invitation, it is currently free to its users. Unlike Youtube or Facebook, Clubhouse does not display ads but will be introducing Patreon’s model, a crowd-funding service, to produce revenue. It will allow influencers and moderators to receive funding solely from their audience.

Will Clubhouse survive?

In the begging of Silicon Valley, the tech companies provided hardwares and softwares to its clients; business models were simple and fair. However, in the last ten years, the most successful companies of Silicon Valley have been in the business of selling data, more specifically user information. Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Google, what is their business model? It is to keep its users engaged on the screen. What do they have in common? They constantly develop and optimize algorithms to further increase user engagement and retention.

Think about it this way: we may think that Facebook is merely a website that allows us to see what our friends are doing. However, by design, it evokes in its users the desire to show off and compete for attention. Snapchat’s CEO Evan Spiegel has said, “DNA of their company is all about having people compete with each other online for attention.” This is the trap of social media platforms that companies and its users fall into.

The question is, will Clubhouse be different? Can it survive without trapping its users in its algorithm? How will it ethically produce revenue while competing with other social media platforms?

Things to watch out for? (My thoughts…)

A new study by three MIT scholars has found that false news spreads six times faster on Twitter than true news does. Clubhouse is currently struggling with rising complaints about harassment, misinformation and privacy, as many of its voice rooms are occupied by wild conspiracy theories. It’s not just Covid-19 that’s spreading fast.