Clubhouse For Android Has Got Its Goan Audience Buzzing

Clubhouse is a new social media audio platform that has become the talk of the town ever since its launch on Android. The app was launched by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Paul Davidson and Rohan Seth in 2020 and was making rounds on iOS devices since then. For a country like India where the majority use Android devices, the platform had to expand. Clubhouse finally made its launch on the Android system opening its doors to the vast Indian population in May 2021. India is a huge market for any social media platform with over 1.38 billion probable users. Paul Davidson, Clubhouse co-founder told reporters that, “The really exciting thing is seeing people within India meeting people from other parts of India, and seeing people all over the world connect with Indian rooms, users, and content.”

Clubhouse is compatible with devices running Android 8.0 or later. With its free-flowing podcast feature, Clubhouse has become the cool and new way to chat online. A user can jump in and out of different chats which are on different subjects. More like club-hopping in real life. Clubhouse offers a feature where a user can view a lot of conversational topics which they can then follow. These topics can vary from business to sports to technology to music to world affairs and so on. You can follow topics and people with similar interests as you which then allows the app to suggest conversation rooms that fit your interest. When you are listening in to a conversation and have something to say, you can virtually “raise a hand.” This allows the room’s creator or moderator to decide if they want to let you talk.

When the app first launched in the US in 2020, it went viral because it attracted various worldwide celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Aston Kutcher, Kevin Hart, Elon Musk, Drake, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, and many more. The app allows its users to share posts, audio updates, and hold audio-only conversations. Clubhouse saw a lot of the celebrities hosting chats on various topics and a user or fan would get a chance to hear, and even participate in conversations with famous and powerful people they adore. Unlike platforms like Instagram, this feature allows you to easily connect with public figures. Afran Sayed, founder at Crio Media House, an online community of creators says, “I had the opportunity to speak with Ashish Vidyarthi, as well as other entrepreneurs and artists who have made a real difference in society.”

The app also saw a lot of participation from its Goan users. Afran Sayed from Crio Media House and his team host a club known as “Crio” on the app. According to Afran, Clubhouse would be extremely beneficial to the Goan community, as the state is brimming with talent, and this platform would allow them to connect with like-minded people from all around the world. Goans are portrayed to be susegad but we must not turn a blind eye to the underlying talent in the state. To give this talent a platform, Crio Media House has started its own club for the people of Goa known as “Goa Connect”. Afran says, “This club is for all things Goa, for every Goan who wants to promote his or her talent, share their stories, and network with like-minded individuals”.

Another creator from Goa, Ishita Rao says that “Clubhouse generates incredibly amazing conversations if you seek out the right people, groups, and things that genuinely interest you. You get to engage with people from various creative backgrounds, which gives you a better understanding of the industry and forces you to see things from another angle.” Shawn Kenneth, a musician, and digital creator says, “Clubhouse is an exceptional platform that needs a completely different skill set, especially the ability to vocally take charge of a group discussion compared to other traditional social media platforms. The platforms amazing insights into multiple industries through rooms creates a network based on common interest.”

But this social media app comes with an invite-only option bringing about a small limitation to the app. This basically means that once you download the app, you won’t be able to use it unless you receive an invite from an existing Clubhouse user. This limitation is however temporary. The creators of the app have announced that their 2021 goal is to complete the app’s beta stage. This means that the app will finally be open for the whole world to freely join.

Now you must be thinking about how this app would benefit your business, an artist, or even a social media creator. Clubhouse co-founder Rohan Seth stated that “The company is also aggressively working on monetization plans, and will look at adding various options like payments, subscription, ticketing, and tipping in the future.” Shawn Kenneth who currently teaches at Skill Studio Online in Goa stated “I feel Clubhouse is going to be really big within the next few years. It will give a platform to voices that have not got a chance to express themselves through other more visual social media platforms.”

Looks like Clubhouse is here to stay! Download Clubhouse for Android here.

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