Park Young-sun and Kim Bong-jin also use it? ... The true insider is on 'Clubhouse'

Real-time Voice Chat App
No Records or Recording Allowed
Elon Musk and Kim Bong-jin Also Joined

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] 'Next-generation social media (SNS) star,' 'the future of SNS,' 'Twitter alternative'...

These are nicknames given by major foreign media such as Bloomberg and The Telegraph for the voice chat application 'Clubhouse,' which was launched 10 months ago. This app, introduced last year by a U.S. startup, is regarded as demonstrating the shift of social media from text-based to voice and video-based platforms.

Clubhouse is a social media platform created in April last year by serial Silicon Valley entrepreneur Paul Davidson and Rowan Seth, a former Google employee. It allows conversations only through voice, not text messages or video, and users can join only by receiving an invitation from existing users.

◆ Musk, Zuckerberg, and Kim Bong-jin also use it = The biggest feature is the existence of real-time chat rooms. When entering the app, various rooms are open, and users can join rooms with topics they want or where people they want to talk to are present. Alternatively, users can create their own rooms. The person who creates the chat room grants speaking rights, allowing discussion on related topics. Like the messenger 'Telegram,' conversations are not saved, and recording is not possible.

Clubhouse gained word-of-mouth popularity in Silicon Valley since last summer and attracted serious attention when U.S. venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz invested in it. Recently, it became a hot topic when Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, shared his opinion on the GameStop stock surge. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Dropbox founder Drew Houston are also subscribers.

Recently, it gained popularity in China as a liberated zone for free discussion on politically sensitive topics such as the Xinjiang Uyghur human rights issue, Hong Kong National Security Law, and Taiwan independence, leading the Chinese government to urgently block access.

In South Korea, users are increasing through word of mouth. Kim Bong-jin, chairman of Woowa Brothers, Lee Seung-geon, CEO of Viva Republica, and former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun have also made surprise appearances. Park, who ran for Seoul mayor in a by-election, even conducted a live interview on Clubhouse.

Users are enthusiastic about Clubhouse because they can communicate directly with prominent figures from various fields. Currently, the app is available only on iPhone, and the number of subscribers is rapidly increasing. According to major foreign media, the number of subscribers, which was 600,000 in December last year, surged to 2 million last month and 6 million this month.

◆ "Desire for diverse communication" = The popularity of Clubhouse has also drawn attention to other voice social media. 'Discord,' a voice social media app launched five years before Clubhouse, has recently come into the spotlight. According to U.S. IT media Wired, Discord was originally launched as a dedicated chat app for gamers but transformed into a platform for general users' conversations last year due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, it is mainly used for exchanging information related to stock investments.

Major foreign media analyzed that Clubhouse signifies more than just the emergence of a new social platform. It is seen as a new way of interaction that appeared amid the normalization of social distancing due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. IT media Engadget said, "Clubhouse appeared at a moment when people felt isolated due to COVID-19," adding, "It actually became a way to meet people." It provided an optimal space for people seeking communication in the COVID-19 era.

Furthermore, there is an analysis that it signals a transition in the social media era. Indian startup media YourStory said, "The 2000s were the era of text-based social media like Facebook and Twitter, the 2010s were the era of visual and video social media like Instagram and TikTok," and added, "Now, the era of voice-based social networks has begun." Forbes evaluated, "Text-based social media like Facebook, Weibo, and WeChat easily leave traces," and said, "Clubhouse, which communicates only by voice without leaving conversation records, is much safer than these."