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If you’re active on social media, you’ve probably seen celebrities and influencers posting about their conversations on Clubhouse, an invite-only, audio-based iPhone app, that lets you listen in on other people’s live chats.

You can download it, but you’ll have to wait around for someone to let you in, and that’s tough for all of the regular folks out there, who can’t break through the exclusivity of it all.

People on the app can create ‘rooms’ that you can join, and each ‘room’ has a different topic.

Before we head into how the app exploded in popularity, here’s PCMag with how it all works.

Unlike other social media platforms, you won’t find pictures or video on the app. Instead, all you’ll be able to see are profile pictures for each user.

Up to 5 000 people can join a ‘room’ at a time.

To register, in theory, all you need to do is provide your real name and phone number. You’ll then register the eventual username you want for the service at a later date. When you download the app, you’ll be put on a waiting list until someone sends you an invite.

Once you’re in, you’ll be able to navigate the conversations you want to join in on or listen to, by picking topics (it’s a little like Pinterest in this regard).

This brings us to why everyone is going wild about it.

Elon Musk had a lot to do with throwing Clubhouse into the public eye, after his rather bizarre interview in Clubhouse ‘room’ Good Time Show.

After that, millions of people hopped in line to join, says WIRED, eager to socialise and listen in on an endless stream of conversations.

Some of the memorable moments since the app was launched a year ago have included:

…a painstakingly rehearsed, joyful audio production of The Lion King, a summit meeting of famous hip hop originators […] Thought leaders, politicians, and A-list celebrities have headlined countless Clubhouse rooms.

More prosaic sessions include scammy get-rich-quick pitches and endless hand-wringing about current events. Some of the discussions have become notorious, with charges of racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, and disinformation.

We’re not going to gloss over that last one.

The racism and anti-Semitism incident involved a ‘room’ where people could hang out and have a discussion about anti-Semitism in Black communities. The person who set up the room didn’t screen participants and it quickly devolved into a breeding ground for bigotry.

For an example of misogyny, look no further than the experience described by app user Dionne Mahaffey who joined in November last year.

Inside she viewed rooms where only men were invited to speak from the audience, regardless of their level of professional experience.

One man refused to let her introduce herself.

“He took the whole time to tear me down in a room with hundreds of people,” she continued. “When I [listed] my credentials and the projects I was involved with, he demoted me to the audience. I am not the type of person that brags, but he pushed a button.”

All of this, the good and the bad, has only served to generate more curiosity about the app.

And there is a lot of good. It’s a great platform for discovering new things and engaging in interesting conversation. The trolls are unfortunately a given with pretty much all social media, so just avoid them.

The appeal has a great deal to do with the times that we live in. Keen for a break from the monotony of sitting at home during a pandemic, it provides a much-needed escape.

New users often become obsessed with it, spending 20, 30, even 40 hours a week on the app. Discussions are popping up in German, Greek, and Burmese.

In early February, the app even earned the badge of respect accorded to free speech-ish platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter: It’s been banned in China.

Adding to the community feel – or cult-like feel depending on which way you look at it – every Sunday thousands of ‘Clubhousers’ as they call themselves, attend a town hall with the app’s two cofounders, Paul Davison and Rohan Seth.

If you’re keen to join, go ahead.

You’ll find the app here. Unfortunately, it’s not yet available on Android, but apparently, that’s in the works, so you could find it there soon.

Just tread lightly when entering ‘rooms’.

[source:wired&pcmag]