"Facebook and Twitter, Step Aside"…Is the Era of Closed SNS Coming? [Im Ju-hyung's Tech Talk]

Popularity of Closed SNS Differentiated from Existing Open SNS
Representative Platforms Like Patreon and Clubhouse
Emphasizing 'Human Contact' Experience Through Closed Platforms
Noted as an Alternative for 'Human Social Experience'

Social networking services (SNS) such as Facebook and Twitter have already become deeply rooted in human life. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Social networking services (SNS) have now deeply rooted themselves in our lives. Especially with major SNS platforms like Facebook and Twitter, it is hard to find someone without an account. However, recently, new platforms with completely different characteristics from traditional SNS have been rapidly expanding. These are so-called 'closed SNS.'

Existing SNS platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are commonly referred to as 'open SNS.' The biggest feature of these platforms is that strangers can meet, interact, and so-called 'follow' (subscribe to a specific person's posts) each other.

For example, on Twitter, after creating an account, users follow others as recommended by the platform or get followed by others. By doing so, they build their own network and gradually expand connections toward people they previously did not know. This is what open SNS is about?literally creating a 'social network.'

However, the rapidly growing closed SNS platforms have a completely different nature. For instance, there are subscription-based SNS where users pay a fixed monthly fee to 'subscribe' to creator accounts. In return, subscribers are granted access to private content created by the creators.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is also known to be a Clubhouse user, which has become a hot topic. / Photo by Yonhap News

These SNS are mainly used by creators producing works such as illustrations and music albums, with representative platforms including Patreon and OnlyFans.

Meanwhile, there are platforms that can only be accessed by invitation through a special 'invitation' link. A representative example is the SNS 'Clubhouse,' which recently attracted attention as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Bill Gates, former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun, and former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, among others, opened accounts.

Clubhouse allows only invited people to join chat rooms, where real-time conversations take place solely through users' voices, not text messages or emoticons. It is an audio-based SNS.

The growth of these platforms is very steep. Patreon raised an additional $90 million (approximately 99.6 billion KRW) in investment last September and has grown into a company valued at $1.2 billion (about 1.329 trillion KRW).

According to the U.S. financial media 'Bloomberg,' OnlyFans recorded sales exceeding $2 billion (about 2.215 trillion KRW) last year and posted a net profit of about $300 million (approximately 332 billion KRW), growing more than fivefold compared to the previous year.

Currently available for download on Apple's iPhone App Store, the SNS Clubhouse / Photo by Internet Homepage Capture

Meanwhile, Clubhouse, established in March last year, had only about 600,000 users as of December of the same year but recently surpassed 2 million users in just one month.

If existing SNS like Facebook and Twitter are defined as open SNS, these new SNS platforms can be called 'closed SNS.' While open SNS specialize in exposing oneself and one's content to an unspecified large number of people, closed SNS limit exposure to specific individuals only.

So, why has closed SNS attracted attention, surpassing existing open SNS? Experts explain that closed SNS provide a 'human connection' that cannot be felt on open SNS.

Nicholas Huebeker, a developer from Silicon Valley, shared his impressions last April after using Clubhouse for about 36 hours, stating that it offers a completely different experience from other SNS platforms.

In an interview with the U.S. IT media 'Wired,' Huebeker said, "Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter feel like speaking to people in a huge room. Someone might listen to me, but eventually, the attention on me fades, and I end up talking in a corner."

He continued, "But Clubhouse allows me to create my own room and have one-on-one conversations with someone inside that room. Each room can choose the desired conversation topic, and every person you meet and talk with can create a special experience."

Unlike existing open SNS, where individual communication is difficult due to communicating with many people at once, closed SNS allow for somewhat narrower but deeper communication.

Especially as it has become difficult to interact with others due to COVID-19, these closed SNS are gaining attention as an alternative for 'human social experiences.'

In fact, Clubhouse co-founders Paul Davidson and Rohan Seth explained that the platform was created because they "wanted to make a more human SNS experience."

In explanatory materials on their official website, the two founders emphasized, "We wanted people to really have conversations with others, not just post or write images."

IT technology, which had established itself as a driving force accelerating the non-face-to-face trend after the COVID-19 outbreak, is now evolving into a 'human platform' that deepens bonds between people. This is why closed SNS, which completely overturn the trend of existing open SNS, are gaining attention.