The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 6 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on March 12, 2021.
By Emma Baumgartel ’21
Staff Writer
Every now and then, a new social media app gains popularity because it offers a new way to digitally engage with others. For example, with the emergence of TikTok, users were able to create short and entertaining video content. Clubhouse, a “digital hangout” app launched in April 2020 and currently “invite-only,” offers a way to connect with others over shared interests via audio.
If you have not yet downloaded the app, here is a brief overview of what you might first experience if you decide to join. Once you get an invite, you’ll see a ton of different “clubs,” or rooms to join with names like “Meditation Room,” “Polyglot Club,” and “Investing For Beginners” or even just “Vibing,” which is just a place to talk. The app is basically like walking into a college’s student organization fair, except it features a bunch of strangers that aren’t your classmates.
On Clubhouse, a user can follow clubs that align with their interests, or they can check the Calendar and see what rooms are going to be hosted at specific times that day. Once you’re in a room, you’re basically there to listen, talk when you want to unmute yourself (or when the moderators “call” on you). Basically, it is an easy way to connect with others over pretty much any topic you can imagine.
A unique aspect of the app is that there is a fairly large number of notable people on the app, including CEOs and successful entrepreneurs, as well as celebrities like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Malcolm Gladwell. Even actors such as Lindsay Lohan and Kevin Hart have made appearances in certain rooms, skyrocketing those rooms’ attendance and increasing the app’s overall popularity.
Whitley Pleas ’22, a current junior at Lake Forest, shares her takeaways from the app, and explains how it can be used to learn more about certain topics. She states, “I like it a lot because it’s cool to listen to new perspectives. I usually just listen and learn.” Pleas also explains how it can be used as a networking app because “a lot of people on there have great credentials, so I feel like I should listen to their rooms and join their clubs.”
Whether a user is on the app to try to network and make new career connections or to just hang out and have stimulating conversations over niche topics, Clubhouse is primarily a place for making human connections, something many people are deprived of right now. However, unlike certain social media apps that are mainly for viewing content and posting your own, Clubhouse seems to take social media to the next level through collaboration. Rather than simply consuming media and content, a user is actively engaging and contributing to the content by voicing their thoughts during discussions.
If you are someone who is looking for more human connection, wanting to network, or just seeking to learn about an interesting topic, there is a good chance you will have a satisfying experience on this next-generation social media app.
