Communication
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
The Clubhouse Phenomenon: Do We Need Another Social Network?
Version 1
: Received: 18 March 2021 / Approved: 19 March 2021 / Online: 19 March 2021 (14:52:38 CET)
How to cite: Strielkowski, W. The Clubhouse Phenomenon: Do We Need Another Social Network?. Preprints 2021, 2021030503. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0503.v1. Strielkowski, W. The Clubhouse Phenomenon: Do We Need Another Social Network?. Preprints 2021, 2021030503. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0503.v1.
Abstract
Being a combination of the conference call, talkback radio, audio podcast, and an online video chat, Clubhouse is a new social networking app that gained over 10 million users and over $100 in valuation in just 8 months. Unlike other social networks, it offers a real-time streaming audio chat that does not ask users to share any unnecessary information like exchanging text messages, conducting video calls, or sharing photos. Instead, Clubhouse users can listen to real-time conversations, contribute to these conversations and create their own conversations for the others to listen and to interact with. Often nicknamed a “Silicon Valley’s hottest start-up”, Clubhouse positions itself as an “exclusive” and “alternative” social network that attracts various celebrities and people who just want to talk to each other. Launched in March 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with its social distancing and lockdowns, Clubhouse offered its users a space for the digital group psychotherapy where people could solve their problems by talking them through with strangers. However, it is unclear what is going to happen to this new social network in the post-pandemic world after all of its hype eventually evaporates. This paper discusses the possible underlying motives for the Clubhouse creation and its real purposes. Moreover, it looks at the three possible scenarios of its further development.
Keywords
social networks; digital surge; COVID-19 pandemic; technology industry; Clubhouse
Subject
SOCIAL SCIENCES, Accounting
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comments (0)
We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.
Leave a public commentSend a private comment to the author(s)