Why Clubhouse Is In The News & How To Use The Audio Chat App

Clubhouse has been making headlines routinely over the past year, although Elon Musk and Robinhood are largely the reasons it has been in the news so much recently. The app which places a focus on audio conversations has proven specifically popular with those involved in tech and journalism, but it remains limited in terms of device support and who can actually access the service to begin with.

There are plenty of social media services now available, but Clubhouse is attempting to do things a little differently. Instead of focusing on text and image-based posts, Clubhouse encourages more of a community-based experience where users chat with each other in real time. Where it further adds value is that other users are able to listen in to many of these group conversations, making it an ideal platform for hosting audio-only public meetings and gatherings. Since its introduction, other services have started to work on their own versions, including Twitter.

Recently, Elon Musk could be found in one of the Clubhouse rooms. This in itself was enough to generate interest and attention, but Musk was also joined by Robinhood’s co-founder, Vladimir Tenev. As part of the discussion, Musk specifically questioned Tenev on why so many users were being limited on how many GameStop shares they could buy. The combination of Musk, Robinhood and GameStop, made the Clubhouse discussion a must-listen event for many, with the meeting even ending up on YouTube, for those currently not signed up to the service.

How To Get Started With Clubhouse

Getting started with Clubhouse will feel different to using Facebook, Twitter or any of the other social media services, due to its unique design. Posts are not curated, polished or scheduled to go out as finished products with Clubhouse more raw in its approach. Essentially, it is made of different rooms with each one akin to a podcast. Users are able to enter and exit any room at any time, but the big difference between its style and say, jumping between live streams on YouTube, is that everything only happens in real time. Once the audio event has ended, it ends, with no option to replay or listen in later. Therefore, timing is everything with Clubhouse, although the app does provide plenty of information on what rooms are live at the time and which ones are scheduled to go live later. Most of the rooms that surface for a user will be somewhat influenced by their interests and which Clubhouse users they already follow.

Besides the learning curve involved with Clubhouse, not everyone can currently use the app. To begin with, Clubhouse is currently only available on iPhone. The company has confirmed it is working on the Android version, but there’s been no clear indications of when it will become available. That said, what’s arguably a far greater hurdle is that Clubhouse still remains in an invite-only status. Therefore, unless a user is invited to use Clubhouse by an existing user, they won’t be able to drop by and listen in to Musk or any of the app’s other high profile voices.

Source: Tesla Dosage/YouTube

About The Author

John Finn
(827 Articles Published)

See also  10 Shows To Stream With (Mostly) Female Casts

John Finn is a technology editor and writer for Screen Rant. John has been covering technology since 2014 and focuses on where tech meets the movie and TV industry. A Psychology graduate from England who now lives in the US, John previously worked in the aviation industry as an airline reviewer. You can find John on Twitter @J_Finns or email at john [at] screenrant [dot] com.

More From John Finn