I've been working in social media since the (very weird) days of MySpace, and if there's one thing I've missed in recent years, it's the confusion, consternation and debate that emerges when a new platform sprints toward its mainstream moment.
It's become rare as the tech world has settled quite a bit, but we're definitely having that exact moment with Clubhouse.
As my colleague Scott Nover, Adweek's platforms reporter, discusses in his excellent piece today on Clubhouse's tipping point, Clubhouse's active user base has doubled in recent weeks to 2 million. That's not exactly a Silicon Valley-redefining groundswell, but it's certainly enough to get the attention of marketers and tech pundits.
I've dabbled in Clubhouse a few times since joining a little over a week ago (I'm @Griner on there if you feel like connecting), and I've found several things to love and to...not so love.
What's amazing is seeing thought leadership and discussion from the ground up, with emerging and diverse talents organizing the conversations. The result, while sometimes mildly chaotic, is a wonderful disruption of the traditional conference model where successful elites talk to each other about their elite successes.
But the platform has its downsides—mostly in terms of user experience, since you're basically just listening in on a conversation with little ability to engage beyond exiting if it annoys you. And of course it remains haunted by some bad actors who want to use it to share repulsive perspectives on women, minorities or just about any group that's been targeted on other platforms. As Scott notes, though, the company is working to improve, and longterm users say there's been considerable progress.
So what's your take on Clubhouse? I'd love to know about the highs and lows of your experience—or, heck, what you'd like to see me and the Adweek team do over there. So drop me a note at the email below or come find me at @Griner on Twitter (or Clubhouse).
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
[email protected]
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