In 2020 and 2021, the social media landscape seemed on the brink of transformation. TikTok was gaining momentum, spreading vertical video across phones worldwide. Meanwhile, another app, less popular but rapidly growing and influential in the tech community, appeared to have a new social concept. This app, Clubhouse, was a bold gamble on audio being the future. It was hailed as the next big thing, until it wasn’t.
In this episode of Version History, we explore the early days of Clubhouse and how a simple audio group chat app evolved into a thriving entertainment and creator platform. Platformer’s Casey Newton and Bloomberg’s Ashley Carman join David Pierce to discuss how the app operated, why tech enthusiasts were drawn to it, and how timing was both the best and worst aspect for Clubhouse. What would the app have been without a global pandemic and extended lockdowns that left people seeking connection? We may never know, but it would have been different.
This is the second episode of the third season of Version History. Here’s how to access every episode and other exciting content as soon as it drops:
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For more on the full story of Clubhouse — and to revisit life during lockdown — here are some links to get started: