JOIN USHot new app in town
Clubhouse is a voice-chatting app where individuals can host and join different conversations. Upon opening the app, you see a list of rooms that you can join, or you can create your own room.
Each room has a different topic, often hosted by an expert or pioneer in the field. There are no videos, no pictures, and hardly any text. It’s all just audio. It is similar to joining in on a live podcast episode. Nothing is saved, so if you are enjoying the conversation, don’t leave, because you won’t be able to play it back.
Last summer, the social media app had just a few thousand users, mostly Silicon Valley tech workers and venture capitalists who wanted to connect with each other during the pandemic. Hardly anyone in India was talking about it.
Today, it has millions of users, a valuation of roughly Rs 100 crores and a ton of buzz. In India, just this year alone the app has recorded over 20,000 downloads according to app analytics firm Sensor Tower. The app is currently only available for iOS devices. The android version, which sources say is set to launch in early March 2021, is bound to increase this number by three-fold in just a few weeks.
The reason for its popularity seems to be two things; one being private communication. “There is a sense of exclusivity that the app has created. It’s a gated community by design. The second thing is there is no option of recording. Once the conversation is done, the room is closed. This sense of privacy and security has allowed a lot more people to come and talk about things that they wouldn’t otherwise. It also allows personal access to people in a way that no other social networking site does right now” says Hardik Pandya, head of design at Unacademy about the invite-only social media app. At the moment, you have to be invited to the app by someone who is already a member or you can make an account on your own and get on the waiting list.
The app shot to fame early this year after CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk made an appearance on the platform, and has now become a crowd favourite in Bengaluru, especially among start-ups and techies in the city. “Bengaluru has always been fast in adopting new technology and welcoming new apps. Every day I see at least 5-10 of my friends from Bengaluru join the app,” comments Harsha MV, co-founder of the Namma Bengaluru Club.”
When asked if Clubhouse is just another fad that’ll soon pass, Hardik says, “The app has created a place for itself in our lives, it’s in no way a fad. Every evening around 4-5 pm the start-up folks are on Clubhouse. There are 10-15 rooms going on at any given time. Right now, in the middle of a pandemic where people can’t meet freely, this is where we come to hang out. It is also refreshing because you can jump into a conversation at any time, without caring about your appearance or if your background is tidy.”