Clubhouse, An Elite Social Media That Is Different From Other Applications

Aplikasi Clubhouse (Photo by Dmitry Mashkin on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Celebrities have joined in. The general public must get invited if they want to join. China has blocked it. Meanwhile, investors assume that this is a platform worth billions of United States dollars (US).

Now, this newest social media platform has gone viral. It has become a topic of discussion for netizens, both in Indonesia and internationally. There are already two million iPhone users who have downloaded it, according to Sensor Tower observations.

The description above is an overview of Clubhouse, an audio-only social networking app that recently recorded some new milestones. Which, in the language of the Washington Post, is seen as the embodiment of Silicon Valley's obsession to introduce its lifestyle: exclusive, limited, and filled with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) nuances.

What Distinguishes Clubhouse from Other Social Media?

Since the pandemic, the nights feel longer than usual. Time is too faint to tell. 6 p.m. feels like 6 a.m.

In the midst of this psychological and mental exhaustion, people have begun to go deeper into the internet. Social media is a kind of oasis, reminding us that we don't live alone. Meanwhile, quality group chat is the 'gold' that many people are looking for.

Twitter tells you what is going on today. A platform where its users can share any kind of information and documented any kind of event. While TikTok is like a rabbit hole in which Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz goes in, it makes you lose track of time.

In the midst of this condition, FOMO or the fear of missing out thickens. Everyone wants to be directly involved in every digital phenomenon that occurs. Whether in the form of reaction content, dance videos, or just a short commentary.

Clubhouse is moving quickly today, but in some ways it feels like our journey started a long time ago. We wanted to take a moment to share our story and tell you a bit more about what's next. https://t.co/rsvnHYlS4b

- Clubhouse (@joinClubhouse) January 24, 2021

Based on the FOMO, Clubhouse was also born. This audio-chat app is available for those who get invited only. For starters, invitations are only for celebrities, business professionals, and even viewers who have the chance to get them.

In Clubhouse, users can interact with each other through the available rooms or discussion rooms. Like a clubhouse which according to the Miriam-Webster dictionary as "a house inhabited by a club or used for club activities", users can gather with people who have the same interests.

What sets Clubhouse apart from other social media platforms is its indifference to popularity and engagement matrices. A feature is provided for users to create profiles, which can be used to follow other users or capture followers.

However, the main focus of this application, according to the digital agency Social Day, is an issue that is of interest to users and facilitates healthy discussions based on these issues. Besides that, of course, creating a community with the same interests.

Therefore, Clubhouse feels like a more mature, positive, healthy, community-focused social media growth. The values that many social users have started looking for since the start of the pandemic.

Why is it Exclusive?

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are just two of the hundreds of international figures who have used this platform. As of December, the Clubhouse application only has around 3.500 members from all over the world.

Now, based on the observation of Sensor Tower, Clubhouse has been downloaded by more than 2 million iPhone users. Even though its users continue to increase, the exclusive impression of this application remains.

As is known, you need an invitation to join and create an account in this application. Indeed, citing the developer statement from the official Clubhouse website, the company is working to make Clubhouse available to everyone.

"It does not mean to be exclusive: we are just not ready to launch a public version at this time", the company wrote, quoted from the Clubhouse application statement, Tuesday, February 16.

I- pic.twitter.com/QGeSZGTKfN

- 👑 (@YBRAP) February 15, 2021

The application that has been downloaded by users, according to the company, is the Beta version. It is only natural that there are limitations, glitches, and bugs that so many users find. According to the developer, there are two reasons why the company hasn't launched the official version.

“First, we think it's important to grow the community slowly, rather than increasing the user base by 10x overnight. This helps us ensure that the service is not dilapidated, keeps the composition of the community diverse, and allows us to adapt the product as it grows”, explained the company.

Second, the company admits that the development team is still small. In addition, the company has not finished developing features that will allow the platform to accommodate more users.

"For now, there are only the two of us (Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, Clubhouse founder, -red), who are employees", the company wrote.