Recently, there have been buzzes on radio, news, and even mouth-to-mouth about this new kind of social media app called Clubhouse. The app was “burst” when well-known, influential people like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, and other influencers around the world joined and made an audio chatroom to have a live-stream conversation together for free. However, since the app works invitation-only, it built an exclusive reputation. This kind of policy means that you can only join the app when you’re invited by your friends or relatives who have joined Clubhouse. As the Guardian has quoted, “Real-world elitism, but make it virtual.” Plus, the app is currently available only to iOS users. You can tell how it brings a lot of thoughts for people who can’t have access.
Despite its controversy, Clubhouse gained its popularity from the power of making the network easier. You can easily connect with other people by making chatrooms among your friends and eventually attained new friends from their friends' friends or even strangers. The pattern goes when you’ve followed people, and you’ll receive notifications of other chatrooms available based on the people you follow. So, the more you follow, the merrier the chatrooms you’ll join. It’s like an interactive webinar but free of cost, unlimited time, and slots. You’ll have the privilege of talking about everything, from the most serious topics like politics and climate change to something more casual, like astrology and relationship in your 20s. Some people might say it can be a platform that caters to binge-free expression.
In Indonesia, a Clubhouse effect phenomenon happened when Arief Muhammad (Youtuber, slash Entrepreneur) invited several famous people such as William Tanuwijaya (Founder of Tokopedia), Axton Salim (Director of Indofood), Arnold Poernomo (Celebrity Chef), Iman Usman (Founder of Ruangguru) and other well-known musicians and people from the creative industries for an informal chat session. They began with the topic of “Why do rich people wear sandals in the house?”. As simple as that boomed, the chatroom itself scored a record of 6,000 listeners on one day. Even the speakers were shocked and amazed to know the app's potential to gain huge interest.
Well, in some cases, it’s probably not as simple as that. To gain that many listeners, of course, you’ll need the brand and the social media presence to herd enough attention. But if you're aiming just to find some potential network on your list, then it’s merely doable. There’s also a chance for you to get jobs from Clubhouse. For example, an Amazon Recruiter hosted clubs that allowed job seekers to give 30-sec pitches to various recruiters. If they’re interested in your pitch, they’ll connect with you through your social media listed in your bio. There are also other clubs called the “Silent Rooms,” where the chatroom is dead quiet, and people aren't talking to each other. They'd just checking each other bio and follow new acquaintances, simply to find new networks in silence. Another unique way of networking, huh?
But if you think that being friendly and talkative is your go-to networking style, then the trick is to be active, sort the topics that interest you, and take participation by raising hands in chatrooms to speak up. Yes, speak up! We tell ya, being shy is unfavorable in this kind of era. Just remember when to speak and listen during the conversation because you can also think of it as an interviewing exercise. After that, learn and feel the magic of networking! ✨
However, this app does bring a lot of polemics. In China, the app itself has been blocked due to its freedom of speech and security risks. In the southeast, such as Indonesia, the app was considerably used for “fame” and sought popularity has also been debated among its netizen. Thus far, we'd like to list down the pros and cons of Clubhouse for you to consider its function.
😍Pros
Free access
Unlimited time and slots to use the chatroom
Provides many topics of interests
Highly recommended for networking
🤔Cons
The app is still in the beta phase (even on development and plans to expand Clubhouse accessible for everyone)
In Indonesia, the app will likely be blocked by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics because it hasn't been officially registered in the country
Hate or negative speech may occur
An age restriction hasn't been applied to the app
In conclusion, Clubhouse can allow you to connect with your circle and with people you don’t even know. A new kind of social media such as Clubhouse will always have its pros and cons though it’s really up to us to decide whether it’s beneficial or not. Are you in for the popularity or merely building up some networking for your future development? It's entirely on your hands 🙌🏻 The important thing is to have fun and know when to stop scrolling your phone. Anyway, stay tuned to our blog for more posts! Make sure to subscribe and follow us on Instagram @baikgp @ayureadypodcast