Clubhouse is a new invite-only audio-chat social networking application. The company describes its platform as a place "where people around the world come together to talk, listen and learn from each other in real-time." It has been exploding recently. 

Elon Musk on Clubhouse

The booming news around the app has recently been on Elon Musk's appearance in one of the rooms this past Sunday. I made it into one of the "overflow" rooms to listen to Elon speak in real-time about several topics stemming from future life on Mars to artificial intelligence to cyborgs. Were you there? What'd you think?

But before that, I was spending my time in rooms focused on architecture and design. I've been surprised at the large architecture community on the platform and the positive nature of many conversations. And I have been wondering how an application like Clubhouse might influence fields like architecture.

How I got invited to Clubhouse

Some weeks ago, I talked with Wandile Mthiyane, and he asked me if I had been on this app called Clubhouse. I had never heard of it. He told me to check it out, but I got too busy and forgot about it. Then about a week later, I was talking with my barber. He and I always end up having deeper philosophical conversations. "You should be on Clubhouse," he said.

I told him he was the second person to tell me that. My barber sent me an invite, and I signed up but quickly forgot about the app again. But then another architecture colleague of mine mentioned it, and I finally opened the thing to see what all the fuss was about.

A facilitator of organic connection

My first time on the app, I popped into a room about Black Architecture with about 40 people in it. There was a "stage" where participants could mute or unmute themselves and speak about the topic at hand (in this case, the room discussed the question "What is the role of the architect?"). 

Below the stage is the audience — users who are there to listen in on the conversation and who can (if the moderator allows it) raise their hand to be invited up to the stage to contribute to the conversation. 

A point came up that I wanted to contribute to, and so I raised my hand, and the moderator invited me up to speak. I shared a few words with the other people on the stage, then I moved back to the audience and soon noticed that several people from the room began to "follow" me.

I guess they liked what I had to say.

A different kind of networking

A bit later, just to test things out, I started a room about architecture content creation. I didn't know what I was doing. But within a few minutes, eight people joined, and we ended up talking for close to an hour about writing, videography, photography, and marketing.

People asked my thoughts on some things, and I asked others theirs, and it was a very rewarding exchange. And after that discussion, I had met eight new people. 

There is something unique about meeting people in this way, something not present in other social media, which lends itself to more authentic interaction. And aside from some of the annoying people who come into a discussion with an agenda to sell something, people seem to be getting real value from this new phenomenon.

An opportunity for unity and professional development

I've only been on the app for a few weeks. Still, I think my biggest takeaway, specifically within the field of architecture, is that this platform will provide new opportunities for professional development and unity. I've seen much of the divisiveness that permeated our political sphere this past year eek into discussions about architecture. People get so militant on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, where one can hide behind a screen and an artificial avatar.

But when you have to talk to someone in real-time, it seems that things evolve differently. In many of the rooms I've been in on Clubhouse where people disagree, dialogues have developed, and differences have been able to be acknowledged. 

There is a lot that can be said about this new application. Please share your experiences in the comments.