Written by Sara Fender

Furthermore, do I really need another social media app?

I usually don’t want to go but I always want to be invited. 

Unfortunately, my chances of being invited to participate in the new Clubhouse app is slim to none, which just makes me want it more. What exactly is this elusive new app and how does it work? And why should you care? 

Let’s start with the basics: What is it? First and foremost, Clubhouse is currently only available on iPhone, but fear not, they are actively working on the Android version. It is an audio only social media app where people can meet up to host, listen to, and sometimes join in on various conversations on various topics. There are rooms, with a list of who is in each room, and you can join the room by tapping on the icon within the app. Think about each room as if you are listening in on a live podcast episode, except nothing is being recorded, so if you find a room and conversation you are interested in, do not leave because there is no playback option.

Most rooms are hosted by a moderator with one guest talking and everyone else is listening – being asked to join in on the conversation apparently, is a rarity. There are dozens of conversations going on simultaneously and you have the options to jump back and forth between rooms and conversations. Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Ricki Lake and Mark Zuckerberg are examples of some of the people who have hosted conversations. Imagine learning about the fashion industry and streetwear from Virgil Abloh or about entrepreneurship and how it correlates with the latest technology from Mark Cuban. Rumour has it that Drake has hosted a few conversations as well – on what, I do not know – I am not one of the chosen ones as of yet.

The app is being used not only to learn about different topics but also for networking, gathering pertinent stock information (Bitcoin, anyone?), listening to stand-up or the latest music performances. Conversations tend to be free-form and unscripted which makes the medium enticing to people that want to feel as if they are involved in a more casual setting as opposed to a lecture or a TED Talk.

Since the app is still in beta form, how do you get invited? There are multiple ways, starting with the obvious: it’s not what you know, but, who you know. If you know anyone who is already using the platform, hit them up. Each person is given a certain number of invitations to hand out and the more they participate, the more invitations they are given. If that isn’t an option for you or no one wants to give you one of their invites, don’t forget that money talks and you could possibly buy an invitation. I checked out eBay and bids start anywhere from $9.99 up to $20,000. Or, you can just wait (crazy concept, I know). The Clubhouse website suggests that the app will eventually be available to a wider audience in time. 

So, do you really need another social media app to be obsessed with? The answer is “probably not” but also “why not?” You never know what you might hear, learn or run into in the rooms and if for no other reason than to be able to say that you were a part of something new and exciting and that you were there at the beginning. Truth be told, we all want to be a part of something special, or at least be invited to be…