One will quite rightfully question the propriety of reading about a social media platform on a boutique software vendor’s website. Yet, following the tech trends and telling you more about them is something we feel responsible for because we know everything about the world of technology. The story of Clubhouse is as fascinating as they come: a trend sprung out of nowhere and now stealing the show from Facebook and Instagram. While there is a vast array of articles about Clubhouse to be found online, we have decided to come up with a comprehensive guide to what Clubhouse actually is. Hence, here’s our invite to learn everything you need to know about Clubhouse in less than ten minutes.
What Is It? The Historical Perspective Applied
We all learned about Clubhouse in February 2021, as this social media platform has moved up the popularity charts by presenting us with a neoteric mode of communicating online. Nonetheless, it was back in March 2020 that Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, ex-developers at Google, launched Clubhouse when the world faced the imposed by COVID-19 need for finding sound alternatives to live communication. Staying socially integrated has become a challenge and Davison and Seth have stood tall to the call.
Now, here comes a truly interesting question: have you ever heard about Clubhouse in the first months of 2020? No, let’s put it that way: have you ever heard about Clubhouse prior to January 2021? It is a rhetoric question, right? We all know the answer in advance. The first sparks of popularity came in 2021, as various celebrities, such as Oprah Winfrey and Jared Leto, started creating accounts with Clubhouse. Still, the real breakthrough intervened when Elon Musk announced via Twitter his attendance at one of the Clubhouse discussion rooms at the end of January.
Musk’s 46 million Twitter followers did not beat around the bush and the word of mouth advertisement has run its natural course. Nowadays, Clubhouse is considered to be a VIP social media platform where the brightest pens and minds of today share their thoughts, discuss topics, and raise the bar of intellectual enlightenment on a social media platform.
Oopsiedoodle: Data Leakage
Data safety is something we’re all concerned about nowadays, right? Whenever we subscribe for a service or create an account with a new social media platform, we all want to know that our personal information will be protected. While Clubhouse seems to be impeccable so far, it looks like the clouds are gradually starting to brood over the heads of Davison and Seth. Recently, there has been a serious data leakage, impacting the platform’s exclusive status.
In accordance with Bloomberg, Clubhouse has attested to a simultaneous data leakage that happened in a couple of “rooms” during crucial audio sessions. An undisclosed user has managed to gain access to the audio streams and transmitted them right into a 3rd-party website stream. Stanford University’s Internet Observatory was the first to report the case, has admitted that it was not a specially-designated cyber attack. Yet, somehow, the user has managed to find a loophole in the terms and conditions of using the network. Australian cybersecurity expert Robert Potter has testified that it was named a case of leakage and not whistleblowing. Somehow, the user has found a way to connect to several rooms at the same time and broadcast the audio streams to his website.
Good thing is that Clubhouse has acknowledged the fact of data leakage and proceeded to block the notorious user for good. What is more, the social network has promised to revise its security measures. Still, some peculiar issues have come to the surface right after the leakage. The worldwide community is now deeply concerned with the allegations that the Chinese government can gain access to the audio files from the rooms, as the network’s internal operations are run by the Agora start-up, headquartered in Shanghai.
A 100% Reason to Remember the Name
Regardless of the sad news circling around the data leakage, it should be acknowledged that Clubhouse has already managed to contribute to the other companies’ welfare; quite nonchalantly and by the virtue of chance, to be fair. There is a company named ClubHouse Media Group, stationed in Beverly Hills, California. Prior to changing its name to ClubHouse Media Group, it was called Tongji Healthcare and worked in the healthcare industry. Yet, somehow the company has decided to change its profile, and it is now into marketing and media services. ClubHouse Media Group is a successful marketing agency that was worth $225 million in January 2021.
Then, all of a sudden, the second month of 2021 witnessed the Clubhouse striking it rich. With a lot of Wall Street traders being inattentive, the ClubHouse Media Group’s shares rose by 1026% within two weeks, meaning their market value has sprung from $225 million to $2.5 billion. What a lucky coincidence it seems to be, right? Having namesakes might be quite advantageous. Well, it looks like Clubhouse is already changing the lives of people for the better.
The Android Version Incoming
One thing that tells us that Clubhouse is more than just a one-trick pony is that its Android version is coming right up. Yeah, we forgot to mention that as of now Clubhouse is available only for Apple users, but we did it on purpose. We wanted to talk more about it and let you know that Mapewa Ogundipe, one of the world’s most famous Android developers, has taken to developing the Android version of the app. She has announced it on her Twitter account on the 23rd of February:
Some personal news (are we still doing that). Today was my first day at @joinClubhouse. If you know me, you probably know I have *opinions* about iOS only apps. So, I’m excited to be joining the team to bring the party to Android.
It is quite possible that we can expect the Android version to be a success as Mapewa Ogundipe has got some impressive experience behind her back: she has been an Android developer for Khan Academy, Instagram, and Medium. What is more, the Android extension stems from the funding received by Clubhouse at the end of January. The Andreessen Horowitz Venture Fund has invested more than $100 million into the project, thus taking Clubhouse’s value above the point of $1 billion. Hence, one thing we can rest assured of is that the future looks bright for Clubhouse.
An Invite to Sum Up
We cannot deny the fact that Clubhouse is a new social media hit, and it looks like it is here to stay whether you like it or not. One way or another, there are rather more pros than cons to what Clubhouse brings into our world. Of course, the data leakage case was an unpleasant one, but it looks like Clubhouse has taken it seriously and there will be no more cybersecurity adversities to experience. Let’s face it, a social media platform fostering intellectual development and artistic sophistication is something we missed dearly.
