Why the Clubhouse app is so popular despite its security risks

The app’s popularity reflects our burning desire to communicate and connect in a pandemic despite the emerging data risks
It is, in essence, a social experiment on how to responsibly exercise our freedom of speech, and there’s much more to it than just hardcore politics

Vivienne Chow

Published: 8:45am, 25 Feb 2021

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A familiar tune playing on my smartphone caught me by surprise as I joined a Clubhouse chat room. It was Hei Foon Nei ([The Way I] Like You), a famous song by the legendary Hong Kong rock band Beyond.

One of the speakers, a young woman, said she had never heard of the song or the band before until she saw singer-songwriter Gloria Tang Tsz-kei, better known by her stage name G.E.M., perform a cover version of the song in a Chinese talent show in 2014. It inspired her to look up Beyond’s music and she has been a fan since.

Nothing extraordinary about a trip down memory lane – but it is truly astounding that this conversation was conducted in Mandarin, as music fans from mainland China shared their passionate stories about not just Beyond but other Hong Kong bands such as Tat Ming Pair and Tai Chi.

Listening to them speak, live, on this audio drop-in social media app, about their experiences with the music I grew up with was enlightening. The language and cultural barriers were lifted for a fleeting moment. Our shared pop music memories suggested that we might not be that different after all.

This was just one of the many beautiful moments I experienced on this invite-only social media app that has quickly become a sensation in this part of the world. The app recently made headlines after it was blocked in mainland China following discussions of political topics during a brief window of free speech. But there is a lot more to this app than hardcore politics.

It is a social experiment that tests our boundaries and how to tread the fine line between freedom and restrictions as we embrace an era of technological innovation, humanitarianism and digital surveillance.

The surging popularity of the app reflects our burning desire to communicate and connect with each other during the Covid-19 pandemic, as we are separated by social distancing measures, lockdowns and travel restrictions.

The app has created a new form of semi-public space welcoming users from across the world to discuss almost anything: artists, gallerists and collectors mull the future of the art world; young people vent their frustrations and air worries about their career prospects; creatives exchange tips on music and filmmaking; musicians and local residents work on a solution to complaints of noise from an industrial building in Kowloon’s San Po Kong; Cantonese speakers from across the world discuss cultural topics and current affairs. The list goes on.

Clubhouse reminds us of the importance of talking – it is the most direct and simple form of communication. Remember the time before SMS, text-based social media platforms and instant messaging apps? We used to talk on the phone (sometimes for hours) if we could not see each other face to face. The spoken word is much less likely to be misinterpreted compared to text messages.

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You hear the inflections, the emotions of a real person. And perhaps because of that, chat room participants are mostly able to adopt a respectful and civilised manner during a live exchange, even if they do not agree with each other – a much rarer scene in the comment sections of social media threads, where there is no lack of hateful comments and personal attacks. We seem to react better when we are talking to a real person.

Clubhouse has also become the new Instagram or LinkedIn: a place to socialise and network professionally. The few chat rooms I have hosted were fun and pleasant. Chat rooms with eye-catching topics that pop up on a regular basis can easily attract a loyal following and form social groups, where conversations may continue and migrate to other platforms after the chat ends.

In a way, the app can subvert the hierarchy of communication. While each chat room has one or more moderators, those who wish to speak are, more often than not, given a chance to. Moderators are there to facilitate, rather than control the narrative of a conversation. This is not a podcast or a radio show, but a direct, live exchange. The most interesting conversations are among ordinary people. Open discussions of topical issues or even hobbies empowers public wisdom.

But the freedom is not absolute and is subject to rules, restrictions and responsibilities. Clubhouse is discriminative – only iPhone users can be invited. Privacy and security concerns have been raised (and is a hot topic among Clubhouse chats).

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One must register with a phone number and real name. The Stanford Internet Observatory’s recent revelation that the app was sending unencrypted data that could be accessed by Agora, the Shanghai-based start-up with outposts in Silicon Valley that provides the back-end infrastructure to the platform, has forced Clubhouse to review its data security practices.

Another question is how strictly users observe the unspoken rule that discussions in Clubhouse stay in Clubhouse. The app says it does not record conversations but it cannot stop others from documenting discussions through other means. How honest and free can we really be on this platform? How to find the balance between being responsible for what we say and self-censorship?

This is the fine line that is still being tested. For now, it appears that the opportunity to communicate and exchange views is valued above all else. Most people seem happy to abide by the self-imposed restrictions in exchange for the chance to broaden their horizons.

Clubhouse will continue to evolve, and one never knows what social media app will become the next smash hit. Rather than worry about tomorrow, it may be best to enjoy this platform – with caution – while it lasts.

Vivienne Chow is a Hong Kong-based journalist and critic specialising in art and cultural affairs. She is the founder of Cultural Journalism Campus