Youth Incorporated Magazine

Recently, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone asked her fans to join her for a virtual chat session on Clubhouse. This would have got you wondering what this Clubhouse is if you didn’t know already. 

Remember how, the advent of social media enabled people to connect with each other, establish relationships and thus build a whole community? Facebook kickstarted the building of virtual communities. Since then, the social media world has evolved immensely giving rise to multiple other platforms. One such recent platform is the Clubhouse.  

This new entrant is nothing like you must have imagined it. To simply explain what Clubhouse is, it is an audio-only application that lets any user start a chat room and initiate a conversation on a topic of their interest. Anyone interested can enter this room to listen to or join the conversation.  Sounds pretty cool right? It is! 

Clubhouse still seems to be in its trial phases as it is not available on App Store or Play Store yet for everyone to download and use it. To be able to use the platform, someone already using Clubhouse needs to send you an invite. This invite-only chat app was launched in the United States in 2020, first on iOS and then on Android. At present, a total of 5,000 people are allowed to join a chat room. One must note that the app doesn’t allow sharing of pictures and videos, but only lets the users keep a profile picture. Just like the photo/video sharing app Instagram, Clubhouse also lets users follow other users and interact with them.  

The platform gained popularity when our very own Elon Musk, who always trembles the stock market world, tapped on one random chat room and joined the conversation. In India, Deepika Padukone is probably the first prominent personality of the country to mark her presence on the platform and participate in a chat. Many internet influencers have already jumped into the bandwagon long back which includes, Actress Mithila Palkar, Actor Dhruv Sehgal, Rohit Saraf, many comedians like Kunal Kamra, Tanmay Bhatt, Abish Matthew, Kenny Sebastian, social media influencers like Kusha Kapila, Dolly Singh, Komal Pande, Viraj Ghelani, and many more. Journalists, writers and politicians like Faye DSouza, Gurmehar Kaur and Shashi Tharoor, as well have welcomed Clubhouse. 

Clubhouse is basically like a normal phone call you have with your friends and family only, it allows you to have a conversation with as many as 5000 people at one time, which a normal phone call or even a video call doesn’t allow. This platform is striking a chord with every user that joins in for the simple reason that it enables everyone to be heard, express their thoughts without having the need to show their face and not feel pressured the way we all do during video calls.  

Clubhouse is especially proving to be an escape for all those who want a break from their offline social circle and make connections online without feeling personally obligated to anyone. The platform is gradually becoming a go-to to release stress and enjoy some conversations or entertainment happening in the many chat rooms available. From stand-up comedies to some music jams, or movie discussions, to serious conversations, Clubhouse is a one-stop platform for all that can be conversed about.  

Although the app is fancy and holds immense potential, it is also battling with privacy and ethics concerns. The unlimited freedom for people to join any conversation and start any conversation on any topic under the sun without restricting who joins the chat room has offered new ways for mischief-mongers and jerks to create a nuisance. Thus, the app needs to put in place some stringent rules to keep a check on negative elements.