Clubhouse, once the talk of Silicon Valley and the darling of pandemic-era social media, is undergoing a transformation. Earlier this year, the company announced layoffs of half its staff as it embarked on creating “Clubhouse 2.0.” Now, the results of this shift are in, and it’s all about making Clubhouse more like a messaging app.
The shift means moving away from its iconic “drop-in” audio conversations to focus on voice chats centred around friends. Instead of large, open rooms for live-streamed discussions, the new Clubhouse encourages users to form groups with people they already know. These groups, somewhat perplexingly named “chats,” enable friends and friends-of-friends to exchange voice messages.
From Forum to Personable Chats
The key feature of this update is “Chats.” Think of Chats as voice-only group chats with your closest friends. They’re asynchronous, so you can drop in and participate at your convenience. It’s like a blend of group texts and Instagram Stories, except with voices.
Chats come with convenient features like push-to-talk, 2x listening speed, skip and swipe between chats, and the option to engage in private voice conversations. What sets them apart from group texting is speed and personalization. Chats are faster, allowing groups to share more, including nuances and off-the-record content, with automatic transcription and translation into your language.
Voice adds a personal touch that text can’t match. You can hear your friends’ emotions, and laughter, and even sense when they’re tired or excited. It’s about getting to know people on a deeper level.
Chats can be set to “friends only” or “friends-of-friends,” creating a cosy social atmosphere with shared context and accountability. No randoms, spammers, or follower seekers here.
Changing from Followers to Friends
Live audio isn’t going away; it remains a core part of Clubhouse. However, Chats offer a versatile tool for community builders, enabling new conversations without the need for extensive preparation or moderation. It’s all about depth over reach.
Clubhouse is also shifting from a “follow” model to a “friend” model. This change emphasizes the importance of real friendships over accumulating followers. Existing followers won’t lose their connections; they can create a House for their followers right from their profiles.
The motivation behind this pivot is clear. Clubhouse witnessed a significant drop in engagement as pandemic restrictions eased. Whether this new direction can bring back the buzz it enjoyed in 2021, when it attracted millions of users and a multi-billion-dollar valuation, remains uncertain. Clubhouse, seemingly aware of the challenges, concluded its announcement with a touch of caution, stating, “It’s a big bet, and we hope we’re right…”
