Mark Simpson introduces and summarizes Clubhouse, an audio-only, invite-only social app (not recorded, no DMs, no video/text) and explains why it feels addictive: ephemeral, live audio that can’t be replayed. He frames two possible futures for the platform over 6–12 months (widespread growth like Instagram/TikTok or users abandoning it) and signals exploration of how hospitality owners might use Clubhouse.
Chapters
So, in this episode, I wanted to talk about a new app, a new social media channel that a lot of people are talking about right now, and that's called Clubhouse. And the reason why it's proven to be addictive, the reason why it's proven to be so popular, is that it is just audio. So there's no algorithms, there's no direct messaging, there's no video, there's no typing, there's no posting, there's no copy, there's none of that. It's literally an audio app that is not recorded. And you can't even record on your device. You will get banned if you do do so. So when I'm driving in my car, I, you know, I'm not really listening to the radio or music. I'll have a podcast on or I'll have Clubhouse on. And this is why Clubhouse is really addictive, and this is why people are paying a lot of attention to it right now. Is that because it's not recorded, because you can't catch up on it, people are spending time in there. I've been thinking over the course of the last month that I've been testing this platform. How can hospitality owners use it? How is the benefit that you can get on it? Well, this is a platform that is either going to go one of two ways in six to 12 months. Either it's going to get really, really popular, grow and grow and grow, and more and more people are going to use, and it's going to be around here. It's going to be, you know, like Instagram and TikTok, for example, that's just continually here. Or it's going to be a platform in six months that people decide that it's not for them. At the moment, it's invite only. You have to be invited by somebody who is using the platform to join the app, which is a really cool idea. Invite only. If your name's not on the list, you're not getting in.