15 Comments
May 12, 2021Liked by Noah Smith

I stopped using it because 95% of what I could find on there was low quality. I don’t know how to describe the vibe. I guess “wantrepreneur”. It felt like it was populated by people who want to sell you courses on how to sell people courses.

Occasionally there was something interesting but you’d only find out about it elsewhere, the app itself was overwhelmed. Maybe I just got stuck in a bad spot in their recommender system.

Expand full comment
May 12, 2021Liked by Noah Smith

Have you tried Twitter Spaces? It supposedly allows written comment (although I had my screen off when listening). And your 200k followers would be invited to attend.

In addition to the points you made, another disadvantage of live audio is that people talk too slow. I listen to podcasts at 1.4x speed. If the voices are too slow, I end up checking my phone and losing track of what they're saying.

Expand full comment
May 12, 2021Liked by Noah Smith

Another model to follow would be FB live - it does all those functions that you talked about. Hi A minor point but it would be really nice if all podcasters uploaded to youtube as well, preferably with video. I can't explain why but I'll sit through a 90 min youtube video but not a 90 min podcast. Perhaps it's because I have the youtube app on my TV and it feels more natural to sit in front of the TV than listening to talking on my phone. The only time I listen to podcasts is on a long drive.

Expand full comment

Great analysis, Noah. To your point about live-to-recording, this is why I threw my efforts into Fireside Chat as opposed to Clubhouse. By default, every session is recorded. And there are audiomojis too, so you can gauge the reaction of the audience.

It's a smaller space, but the team there is curating creators based on quality shows, rather than throwing the doors open.

Expand full comment

> to become a one-stop shop for public conversation

Why stop at conversations? It won't really be considered a success in China until it becomes a banking and food delivery app too:

https://lillianli.substack.com/p/an-introduction-to-bilibili-

Mostly joking I think... but even if this is true, you're still right that text is the natural next step.

Expand full comment

I don't know, Noah, but Clubhouse just seems too - clubby. Invitation only, select groups, closed door, you know, non-democratic. Glad you're an invited guest but this just seems pretty remote to most of us. Reminds me of the old country clubs - hard to get into and boosting the social status of those that are in.

Expand full comment
May 12, 2021Liked by Noah Smith

On text and social capital. I don't know if it's just me, but I've tried multiple social apps and find something missing about the incentives.

1. It creates a community rather than a collective. I buy into the future should be a collective

https://genyeet.substack.com/p/lessons-from-two-years-of-newsletter

"Collectives celebrate a person's autonomy, since their presence adds value to the institution as a whole. Meanwhile, communities rely on exclusion to attract individuals, whose independent value is extracted for the greater benefit of said institution.

I recently came across an article on the theory of "squad wealth" that reflected this community versus collectivist mindset. Members of a squad rejected the "empty neoliberal promises of gig economy 'employment' and para-social personal brands" by banding together as a collective body. Contrary to the top-down social hierarchy of commodified communities, every squad member is an equal and recognizes the limitations of individuality."

2. Love this idea from one community I joined. But the incentives (likes, retweets, etc.) of social apps are counter

"Give to receive. Community's work best when members are willing to give to others. That can manifest in different ways: starting a conversation, responding to someone's thread, offering to help on a new project. Before looking to extract value, consider how you might lift someone else up with your knowledge or support. We all improve together."

If they add text, social capital, it’ll feel like another space you have to put time into to build a network (i.e. take, rather than give).

Expand full comment

... but do we want them to win?

Expand full comment

I wonder if having everything recorded would chill conversation a bit. Maybe people feel more free to have interesting conversations on Clubhouse because it's not recorded?

Expand full comment