Video Missed The Radio Star
Some interesting links
These are some interesting pages that I stumbled upon since we last met:
Roam Is a Note-Taking Tool, and a Dream of a Better Self
I am in the process of becoming a Roam power user (read “cult follower”) myself. While I don’t know if this is going to last — I hope it does, I cannot deny the attraction that this new tool has for many. Not to easy to learn, very expensive, but if the results are the ones we all users hope for, than it’s worth every second and every penny.Kill the alarm clock - supermemo.guru
This article helped me change my view on the role of the alarm clock and the process of waking up. Especially this sentence: “The alarm signal simply scares your brain into wakefulness, disrupting the carefully planned process of neural optimization that occurs in sleep.”Self-Organising Textures
I don’t know the reason why playing with these dynamic textures feels so satisfying, but is it important? There is some fun to be had :) There is some science, too. They are Neural Cellular Automata Models of Pattern Formation.
Cover Story - Clubhouse
Clubhouse found its space
A world of constraints
No face, only voice.
No recordings, only live.
No website, only an app.
A new social network… as if the world needed yet another one…
Yet, Clubhouse took the world by storm. It got me excited, and I am not alone. Millions are already there, and the platform buzzes with activity. Little nobodies like me along with internet sharko-titans like Zuck or Musk are in constant chatter: in serious conversations or just hanging out.
Clubhouse is further proof that creatively applied constraints can bring amazing results.
Was it worth for the millions to queue and ask their friends for the favour of being part of this new thing? Was I a fool to share my contact book with them? Is this new network a keeper, or just a pandemic pop hit that won’t last through to the summer?
Let's find out!
What is it like?
Clubhouse is like radio; I can listen to talks in live or I miss them.
Clubhouse is like Instagram; I can follow and be followed. Friends and people that I like (or respect) are there.
Clubhouse is like a meetup (for those who remember what this was). I can join a group of people and chat with them, or just listen.
Clubhouse is like a podcast, I have to dig through a lot of garbage to find gold nuggets.
Clubhouse is also like Facebook, greedy for my personal data, and armed with growth strategies and privacy practices that are at least a bit dodgy.
Voice is for Clubhouse what pictures are for Instagram. People join the platform on their iPhones (Android’s coming), and they can start either broadcasting or join a broadcast using their phone. This happens while everybody’s gently pushed to follow as many other people as possible. Communities can be created by following rooms. That’s it.
Less is more
It is brilliant in its simplicity. It is that kind of genius idea that once you see, it seems obvious. An idea is set to succeed as:
it has zero technical entry barriers — no complicated software setup, no expensive cameras condenser microphones or mixers, no studio
it has zero psychological entry barriers — no scripts (as it is just a chat with friends), no makeup (nobody sees me)
it allows people to gather crowds of followers and to become influencers
it brings instant gratification and variable rewards. These are important ingredients of addiction, which brings people back to the app over and over. Entering rooms of people and snooping around rewarding for curiosity; and the reward is variable, too — sometimes the conversation is boring, sometimes it is exciting.
it has already reached a critical mass to benefit from the network effect, having people bring value, which brings more people, which brings more value, and so on.
Audio is a big thing
I do dishes, I vacuum, I queue at the supermarket checkout, I walk. Sometimes I even exercise (yay). All opportunities to get some “me” time, alone with my thoughts, prone to introspection, reflection, or why not, meditation. Except this rarely happens. It could be so useful and rewarding in time.
“In time” is important, there’s no instant gratification. My brain for the last twenty years has been spoon-fed personalised, customised, adapted information — always available, always stimulating, always one click away. Therefore, I experience this idle time as boring or “lost”, and fueled by a withdrawal-symptom-like impulse, I reach for anything that can be “useful” or exciting. And since I need my eyes for other tasks, audio content wins: audiobooks, podcasts, radio.
In the past I used to call people, but nowadays hardly anyone uses the phone for leisure calling.
In our visual world, audio is still very relevant, and there are already so many resources to fill people’s ears. Video did not kill the radio star.
Today there is an abundance of audio content. When a resource becomes abundant, there is something else that becomes scarce. In the past, it was information which was scarce. Now the information is abundant, hence it is the attention that is the scarce resource.
In this attention-scarce, content-abundant world, comes this new resource. Does it have a place?
I’d say it does. It brings back the intimate feeling of late-night calls with friends now lost to time, augmented with the awe accompanying a good talk from a thought leader. The creators might not be complete strangers, but often people we know, and as Facebook has already taught us, my buddy’s cat problems are at least as important to me as the climate crisis.
The Good
Clubhouse puts listeners and creators in direct contact in terms of information and cash. Media companies and internet giants will have less control on what we hear and more people can create, since the barrier is so low.
It is a matter of months until Clubhouse will allow payments and a new economy can materialise, in the vein of Substack and Twitch. There will be winners , those creators that build a good following and bring enough value to their listeners. And Clubhouse itself will come for its pound of flesh. Their income will not be equally distributed, it never is, but there will be fresh revenue streams and opportunities for everybody.
New networks will be created, new connections will be formed. People will be closer to each other and distances will be shorter.
The competition will make the radio and podcast hosts better and more professional.
The Bad and The Ugly
Where there are many of all levels there is noise. So much of it that it is hard to get anything relevant out of it.
Clubhouse gives everyone a voice. The good folk have a voice, but so do the stupid, the mean, the deceiving, the manipulating.
The extensive network of everybody connected to everybody might soon become a series of islands where polarisation and extremism will thrive, completing the work that Twitter started.
The company itself, understandably, doesn’t seem to put too much emphasis on their users’ privacy at this stage. Unlike Apple, Clubhouse is not making its money selling expensive devices so that they can afford the luxury to become the flag-bearer of protecting user rights.
I still feel guilty that I was gullible enough to share my contact list with them for nothing without a second thought. Writing this I realize they are neither the first, nor an isolated case, but part of a long series which includes Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, Google, and of course, Apple. Hmm, maybe it is me.
I also understand their reluctance to reveal that the core of their application — the audio communication services — is provided by Agora, a Chinese-funded company. This doesn’t seem too important, unless you are one of those Chinese citizens finally being able to discuss topics they care about but are forbidden, just to realise that the government could — at least in theory — get access to all the recordings and some identification data.
What’s next?
Well, a lot. It is exciting to see something moving at such speed. Clubhouse could become a household name, at the same level with radio and podcasts, creating and sustaining a flourishing creator economy, or it might just end up a niche product to be bought by one of the big ones. Grab the popcorn!
Sponsor
Today’s issue is brought to you in partnership with Hypersay Events.
Hypersay Events offers the full range of functionalities to host and run online events where no one feels alone. The unique Front Row feature allows attendees to watch and comment on the sessions with like-minded people, by creating or joining a group and making emotional connections. There is an ongoing campaign where there is no fee for the first event you run. Use the button below to book a free consultation meeting.
What about you?
So, what do you think about Clubhouse? Is is hype or a game changer? Have you used it? Will you ever use it? How do you feel about it?
Next week, the main topic will be NFT - Non-fungible tokens. We have to talk about them. One chap just bought one for $60 million in an auction at Christie’s! 😮
Before I say goodbye, I also want to thank my friends and fellows from the On Deck Writing Fellowship for their time, kindness and encouragement.