Listen in to Clubhouse, the new 'IT' kid on social media

The ever increasing dependence on social media is growing by each day. Scottish born Alexander Graham Bell would have never imagined that his telephone invention will take different shapes in the coming years. Those who started working in 80’s would have seen EPABX, FAX, STD/ISD calls and then came pagers and mobile phones. 

With the entry of mobile handsets  social media started entering our hands through their customized applications. Today in your palm one can have access to FB, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Telegram, Koo & the latest Clubhouse.

Let's understand how to use Clubhouse, the latest rage to hit social media.

Social media’s primary business model comes under “Freedom of expression”  which is a fundamental right enshrined in the constitution. 

 Clubhouse was designed to be a space for authentic conversation and expression—where people can have fun, learn, make meaningful connections, and share rich experiences with others around the world. Conversations in Clubhouse take place in rooms. Within each room, you can be a moderator, a speaker, or a listener. Below are some of the best practices for each role.

• Moderator- When you start a room in Clubhouse, you are the moderator. This means you are a speaker with the special power to add or remove other speakers. As a moderator, you guide the conversation and have a strong influence on the content and style of conversation in the room.
• Speaker-Speakers are the people in a room who have the ability to talk. By default, the person who starts the room is a speaker, and so is the first person to join them on stage. Everyone else joins in the audience as a listener, and must be invited up if they wish to speak.
• Listener- When you tap to join an existing conversation, you enter in the audience on mute. This means you are a listener. As a listener on Clubhouse, you should relax and enjoy the conversation.

The Biz model

A widely-used business model in the social media age, sponsorships are one of the main ways to earn money on Clubhouse as a content creator. Brands will seek out influencers on Instagram, so it is natural that they will do the same on Clubhouse.

In the recent company update, Clubhouse says that from now on it will allow the users to send money to their favorite creators/ speakers on the app. This new feature focuses on helping to generate participant income rather than generating income through advertisements and monetization like any other app.

Technically like Whatsapp, this application too is encrypted, which means the audio is recorded and in case of any complaint or violation the audio is used as evidence.

I have been following this new medium for last few weeks and here are my own observations on the same. There are too many unsavoury groups that have mushroomed in several languages. At the same time we can also hear voices from Pakistan against Pakistan largely on Afghanistan issue which is developing fast in last few days.

I also see many professional discussions happening on PR/Branding/Marketing Books etc. There are philosophical discussions too alongside motivational groups. Lastly there are many groups anti- establishment and pro-establishment too.

Dip Banerjee chief manager - Corporate Communications and PR at Kutchina Home makers Kolkata a Clubhouse user says, “It’s a gathering place yet informal. It’s a place where stalwarts from various industries debate / discuss on a topic. For me I just hear them out and gain knowledge, insights. It is also trustable compared to other options. It’s a smart platform and a modern version of radio. However, extremely interactive at the same time one can just listen and choose not to participate in any discussion”.

Navin Nair, seasoned PR Professional says, “The graph of subscribers went high when Elon Musk presence at a Clubhouse chat in February  broke the Internet as the phrase goes."

 In  India too the clubhouse rush has gone viral, with popular clubs like PRO Club for communicators and journalists, and  All India Startups.

I for one believe that Clubhouse is a leveler and debunks myths about audio communication. As per reports available last week Clubhouse had little over 10 million download. Last few days I have heard some wise conversations be it religious, Afghan issue, professional conversations on PR/Branding. 

But only those who have their ethics firmly in place must embrace this platform lest it can boomerang.

Raghavendra Rao is Consultant, Media Influencer and Brand Evangelist