A kindls club In May, users were notified via a push message that the app is now also available on Android phones. This news aroused the surprise of German millennials: “Oh, I still have this app on my phone?” It’s hard to imagine, think about it. Let’s take a look at the hype generated by Clubhouse in January 2021. The real-time conversation application has become the number one medium at an incredible speed. Almost everyone who “does something to the media” and wants to tell everyone has joined the club. Some people even paid the price for it-invitations were traded at high prices on eBay. The fear of missing out is great. Celebrity users, exciting talks, clown stories like Bodo Ramelow’s CandyCrush incident—something always happens.
The concept of the club touched a nerve. Finally entertained again in the dull Corona January. The application is also technically new. There has never been a live discussion with some celebrities before. After a few months, it will be hard to remember. Why did the club come so fast? Claire Devlin, a reporter and founder of the social media consulting company “Logical”, believes that this rapid decline is driven by several factors. The application takes up a lot of time and no one seems to have it after it is locked. The topic of discussion also tended to be flat: “My impression, after two to three weeks, the discussion began to reincarnate. The same arguments and topics were repeated over and over again. I was soon informed.”
In addition, the beta version launched in Germany can only be installed on the iPhone. “Many content creators, influencers and media companies have to quickly prove why they distribute content on a platform that excludes so many people.”
No moderation, no filters, no data protection
Ann-Katrin Schmitz, independent consultant for podcasts, entrepreneurs and influencers and social media marketing and e-branding, protects Clubhouse on the technical side. The man-made shortage is of course wise strategically at the beginning, but it is almost unavoidable technically. “The beta version of Clubhouse is still under development. The app cannot cope with the impact of all smartphone users.” Nevertheless, it also lists several factors that have contributed to the rapid growth of the Clubhouse app. The discussion lacks good moderation. There is also no filter to identify and block inappropriate content. Schmitz missed the higher level of authority to ensure that all users comply with the guidelines.
These criticisms should not be new to Clubhouse. Critics have long pointed out that the discussion room is not controlled by the application. Data protection is also an issue. Anyone who creates an account is granted access to all contacts in the address book. Exclusion criteria for many users.
However, almost no “hate speech” was heard. Compared to Twitter or Instagram, Trolls is also more difficult on real-time conversation platforms. The author Peter Wittkamp sometimes hosts his own format on Clubhouse, which boils down to colloquialism: “Everything that sounds bad in writing is as good as the content in spoken language. Anything that is broadcast in the clubhouse People who hate are ridiculous.”
Pay more attention to quality
Witkamp firmly believes in the club concept and describes the current calm on the platform as an “intermediate stage.” Schmitz also saw a huge opportunity for live audio streaming. However, she believes that another supplier has an advantage in conquering the market: Spotify. Music streaming services are very familiar with the mechanism. Although Twitter and Facebook are also working on audio solutions, Spotify is best able to implement filters and regulations. In addition, the Swedish company can better bundle content created during the talks. Schmitz said that the “Publish as Podcast” button can also save conversations for non-live listeners. Creators will have the opportunity to build their own format and profit from it. Clare Devlin also relies on editing extensions. Streaming media platforms must pay more attention to the quality of live content and promote well-crafted and conceptualized speeches.
Although all three people rarely or do not stay in the clubhouse, they will look back on the exciting night there fondly. Witkamp describes the time spent talking with most complete strangers as “Night at the Bar”. Nowhere else can he build networks and embrace new friends so quickly.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to understand what Clubhouse thinks about all this. The company did not respond to inquiries via email, Instagram and Twitter. Customer service also seems very calm.
