Clubhouse is an invite-only app that launched for IOS users only in March 2020 during a worldwide pandemic. Due to its popularity with celebrities including Elon Musk, MC Hammer, Oprah Winfrey, and Chris Rock, just to scratch the surface, its user base soared. Once you receive an invite to join the app you populate your profile and then select topics of interest. The rooms where you can engage in the discussion through the hand-raising feature run 24-7 due to time differences globally.
Rooms are controlled by moderators “Mods” who set the topics, allow users on stage, or eject them for breaching clubhouse rules. Think podcast hosts. The range of topics includes money, sports, music, fashion, lifestyle, social justice, personal development, politics, technology, and more. Once invited to speak, the stage is yours. This will usually equate to a personal share related to the topic, or a question.
Some people use this as an opportunity to get their 15 minutes of fame and go completely off on a tangent. Others will just sit in the audience and listen. I don’t know if it’s fear that stops them from speaking, or they don’t get invited up onto the stage after raising their hand to speak. This can create tension among those in the room.
The app provides an option to follow people of interest, pinging the phone when they are speaking. The hallway displays a list of rooms available, allowing you to jump into whatever stirs your curiosity. Now valued at $4 Billion the app opened to Android users in April-May 2021.
So what’s the problem?
I joined Clubhouse in March 2021 and found it addictive. Whenever I had the opportunity to get on, I was jumping into rooms with the energy of the Easter Bunny. Information overload begins rapidly, knowledge abounds, and I’m connecting with people all over the earth. Jesus, all this at the touch of a button. I’ve found my tribe. These people all speak like me, carry the same interests. values and beliefs. This is like podcast Disneyland.
After four weeks of consuming all this information and navigating through a host of rooms, fuelled by copious coffee consumption, I began to identify warning signs. These signs were prevalent in rooms where the success coaches or millionaire mentors were gathering. Talk about a contradiction in terms. These guys can’t stand each other.
Yet here they are trying to snare clients using the same marketing psychology. Scratch beneath the surface to reveal the façade. I’ve personally listened to stories of manipulation, coercion, and fake advertising all under the banner of transformation. Some of these guys wouldn’t look out of place on 3 am shopping channels.
How can you have 15-20 success coaches on stage, each offering the same repackaged nonsense, without treading on each other’s toes? Easy. They all mimic the support for each other to see who in the audience takes the bait first. Job done. Some coaches are providing real value. However, you won’t have to part with £5,997 to avail of their services.
The real concern is that people believe everything they read on profiles. For example, you enter a room called “grow your Instagram account 10x in 30 days”. The Mod says all the correct things. You wonder: Do you think this person could help me grow my business? What a great opportunity! Then you check their social media presence and they have around 1213 followers across all platforms. Do you still want to buy their expertise? When it sounds like crap, it usually is crap.
These rooms are not in the minority.
There are real social media experts in some rooms but you have to spend some time to find them. These people can help you. However, they won’t come cheap, so be prepared to have some marketing budget set aside to engage with them.
There are now individuals selling courses on how to grow your voice in Clubhouse. These guys were the early adapters. Nonetheless, there is a very cost-effective method to doing this which won’t require you to spend any money (bonus), but it will demand two things:
1. Time-You need to spend at least 8 hours per day on the app
2. Go into rooms where you can speak about the topics with authority.
You need to know what you’re talking about based on your profession or previous experiences. Hands up if you can spot inauthenticity and fake stories. I have a life with kids, leisure, and other interests, so undertaking any of the above is not an option for me. However, if you can commit with discipline to the options, your influence will grow. Sadly, it has enabled the return of the shock jock culture.
These rooms foster a variety of opportunities for all sorts of people, including those who take advantage with bullying, narcissism, harassment, racism, and other manifestations of toxic masculinity. In these rooms, it isn’t uncommon to hear testosterone-fuelled men talking absolute trash about others on the platform. Some of these guys need to be called out for their behaviour, and mistreatment of others. When you see a room with the title “Clubhouse Bullies: Moderators who get paid to end rooms you know there’s a problem.”
In most cases this is driven by jealously, envy or they have screwed the other person over. Que the language of pure ego. The real problem is that when others join the cajoling, it creates a crescendo where everyone wants to scream louder. When you take a step back it would resemble a mass stoning in biblical times. I’m all for calling out those who have harmed others with their intentions and piss poor motives. What I can’t stand over, however, is creating a mob culture mentality on a public platform. Waste of your energy, and time.
“Don’t let the noise of others opinions drown out your inner voice.” — Steve Jobs
Due to Clubhouse’s blossoming success, it was only a matter of time before the other social platforms started to fight back. We now have Spotify Green Room, and Twitter Ticketed Spaces. Magpies attracted to these new opportunities are migrating to rehash their offer to an untapped market. Clubhouse introduced a monetization function to the U.S. in May 2021, enabling donations from the audience depending on what value the room has provided.
Again, do you have time to be social audio hopping for large parts of your day? The world never stops spinning, and time never stands still. How valuable is your time? Do you waste large swaths of your day listening to others tell you how to manage your life? Where’s your autonomy for action?
“Time can be an ally or an enemy. What it becomes depends entirely upon you, your goals, and your determination to use every available minute.” -Zig Ziglar-
I’ve cut time on the app to around 1.5 hours per week unless I see a speaker or topic that catches the interest it will remain that way. I’ve met some brilliant people through the app who I connect with off the platform, while others who showed some potential previously are not part of plans moving forward.
In times of great economic stress, some of the world’s great innovators, products, and services have been born. Is Clubhouse going to have the longevity of other tech giants? I don’t know the answer to that. You will have to become part of the app and see.
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