The invite-only audio chat app has taken the world by storm. But does it make sense to add another social media app to your life? Shireena Shroff Manchharam shares her personal take
Clubhouse, the voice-only, chat-based social media app is getting bigger as we speak—if you haven’t heard of it yet, where have you been? It’s essentially a platform filled with hundreds of different “rooms” in which every subject under the sun is being talked about by people including moderators, speakers and an audience wanting to learn, listen and share.
The experience makes users of the app feel like they are sitting in someone’s living room, conversing about everyday things in life, or meeting like-minded individuals eager to make a stand for world issues they feel strongly about. And doing it with the whole world at that.
It also doesn’t hurt that world-famous personalities including Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk have been known to “drop in” for a chat and visit.
(Related: All You Need to Know About Clubhouse, a New and By-Invite-Only Social Media App)
First impressions
When I started using Clubhouse, I was encouraged by a friend to share about finding happiness in life. I nervously joined rooms in the evenings while lying in bed (breaking my cardinal rule of no tech usage in bed). I learned, listened and started to volunteer to speak, and, truth be told, it was quite liberating!
No one judging what you look like or where you come from (there’s no camera function and therefore no video visual on the app)—just listening to your voice. It fulfils an introvert’s dream of being able to speak up while retaining some level of anonymity, as well as an extrovert’s desire to connect with others in the middle of a pandemic.
The way in which we are closing the gaps in human interaction with digital technology can be amazing yet frightening. It’s amazing because I feel so connected to some speakers who are frequently in the same rooms as I am, but frightening at the same time because I can’t put a face to them. It’s as if I’m speaking to a room full of nameless/faceless voices that can very often be inspiring and wonderful to listen to. Is this the future, and will we continue to adapt to this mode of communication?