This month, Clubhouse became available for all. They dropped the ‘invite only’ option, and finally launched an app for Android users. But, the audio-only social media app doesn’t seem to be the centre of attention any more.
What is Clubhouse?
If you haven’t already heard of it, Clubhouse is a social media app where users can communicate in voice chat rooms that accommodate groups of thousands of people. The audio app hosts live discussions, whether you are hosting, participating or just listening, there is a space for everyone. Find out more here.
During the pandemic this app took the world by storm, helping people all over the world communicate with each other. Clubhouse was launched in March 2020 and was made to seem private and exclusive, which only boosted people’s urge to want to be a part of it.
Members began posting it on their social media, Instagram etc with an invite code, saying they could have one person join, this helped the app to grow and grow until it was valued at a whopping $4 billion after a few months of being on the market.
So, why has Clubhouse gone quiet?
A year on and the clubhouse party might be over….it has shown that numbers are beginning to slow, as well as engagement from people already on the platform. But why?? Many people will argue that the use of the app suited the pandemic but after all rules in the UK were officially dropped on the 19th July (Freedom day), many no longer see the use and are excited to get back to the office. In person meetings and being able to socialise at a conference is a far more appealing option for most. Since over 137.2 million people have now received their first dose of the vaccine, with all over 18’s having their second by the end of August, no one wants to sit inside on their phones anymore.
The app is also yet to introduce recording of conversations, this could be massively holding them back as other apps that offer similar abilities such as zoom enable you to record the conversation and go back and listen to it later on.
Recent rumours of data breaches are also bad news for the app. A Twitter user recently shared:
“A database of 3.8 billion phone numbers of #Clubhouse users is up for sale on the #Darknet. It also contains Numbers of people in user’s PhoneBooks that were Synced. So Chances are high that you are listed even if you haven’t had a Clubhouse login. #DataPrivacy,”
Can Clubhouse bounce back?
Is it the end of the app? With the world opening back up and competitors hot on their tails, things don’t look promising for the billion dollar app. Headlines have gone from ‘how to get an invite to the exclusive app: club house’ to ‘is clubhouse already failing’. The future is not looking bright.
Clubhouse paved the way for huge changes within the social media industry. So whilst this audio-only app may have passed its peak, it has certainly cemented itself into the history books for changing how we use technology.
