Will Clubhouse change the way users communicate forever?
While social networking applications, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others continue to expand and dominate the scene globally, some competing applications have appeared in the recent period, the most prominent of which was a new application called Clubhouse for voice chatting only, as it is based on voice, not text, which Makes it sound like an interactive podcast or group audio call. Twitter also launched its new service called Spaces, competing for the Clubhouse app.
And at first glance; It seems that relying on a sound only has become the new trend in social media platforms, it feels like a combination of listening to a live broadcast of an event, or attending a Ted Talk session, where you can join chat rooms that attract your interest and listen to what is being said, Ask questions directly to elicit and engage with real-time answers.
While the (Spaces) service is in a very early stage of beta testing available to a small number of Twitter users, the (Clubhouse) application can be accessed more widely by invitation only, and so far it is only available on iOS phones.
But even with the limited invitation system, the (Clubhouse) app has expanded rapidly, with the number of its users, according to unofficial sources - the app has not yet provided official figures - between six to ten million users, and this sharp growth is attributed to the appearance of many guests. Notable people, such as: (Elon Musk) the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, (Mark Zuckerberg) the CEO of Facebook, (Oprah Winfrey), and many others.
But what is the secret of the spread of the application in this way, and will it be able to attract prominent brands to reach a new audience, and most importantly, will the application change the way of social communication on the Internet instead of the traditional platforms that exist now?
The Clubhouse application was launched almost a year ago, but registration in it is still invitation-based, as subscribing to it requires a special invitation from those who previously subscribed, in addition to that it is only available for iOS users, as there is no version for Android users yet.
The application allows you to create and join Rooms to have voice discussions with others on various topics, and since joining the Clubhouse application is still by invitation only, you may find yourself having a voice chat with people who share the same interest.
In many ways, it looks very similar to the early days of Twitter, as many celebrities and interesting people in all fields have joined the app, including tech industry leaders, marketers, celebrities, investors, and influencers.
This indicates that joining or inviting you into a chat room means that you will often have a fairly productive conversation with interesting people who provide their expertise and add value to the growing new community.
The three most important cases in the application
First
the app offers a completely different experience than you would find on any other communication platform, as the voice adds more credibility to online conversations and also allows you to quickly build deeper connections.
Second:
The application does not allow recording conversations - recording conversations is against the terms of service - so at least for the time being this means that the conversations are not archived and not searchable, so users do not feel the same pressure they exert to be perfect in every interaction as they do in social media platforms Others, such as: Facebook and Instagram.
Third:
It is clear that very accurate prediction of the future of the application is still very early, the (Clubhouse) application may be able to take control completely, or it can quickly disappear behind the next Twitter service (Spaces) or any competitor that may suddenly appear with better features that attract users more, However, the application is still the first to offer a different experience for social networking and in the world of applications to come first is a very important thing that may ensure that you continue strong.
What opportunities can the Clubhouse app provide for brands and society?
Both the Clubhouse and Twitter's Spaces service are platforms that will provide important new opportunities for brands and open a new field in the e-marketing industry, here are a few of the use cases that can appear immediately in the app:
1- Working groups meet to discuss:
In the continuing spread of the Coronavirus, closures, and travel bans, we find that there are not many conferences and commercial events that will take place in the near future, and here comes the role of the (Clubhouse) application where work teams can quickly create a chat room to participate in a large-scale direct conversation.
2- Influencer participation in the Clubhouse app:
The (Clubhouse) application seems to be a great place to meet opinion leaders, thinkers, and certainly influencers who are looking to communicate directly with their audience, and then it is expected that we will see a large appearance of influencers in the application, in addition to that, we may see the emergence of new stars who can be great hosts and lead great conversations. And they emerge as a new class of influencers.
3- Publishing the news:
So far, there are not so many reporters and media in the Clubhouse app but as it grows in the future - which is to be expected, we can see the media provide all kinds of use cases that you can imagine, such as: creating breaking news broadcasting rooms, or new product launch rooms. And interact with the audience directly.
Most importantly, the app can be a great tool for developing a traditional press conference, allowing newsmakers to reach both the media and the general public simultaneously.
In short, the ways in which the application can be used does not count, as it can include almost any field or topic you are interested in, and at least for now the experience of use, such as using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tik Tok, does not seem like the use of algorithms in these platforms. Who will see it and what will be shown to you.
While the Clubhouse app allows access to a wide range of different points of view, it also appears to create an environment where diverse voices from different ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds can come together in the same space and share their voice to reach a wider audience.