A new social media app is conquering Germany and could compete with Facebook and Instagram.
But the app has some catches - experts warn.
A new
social media app is
causing a hype in Germany.
The
Clubhouse
audio-only app
is not yet available to everyone.
In some ways, Clubhouse is very different from other social networks such as
Instagram
and
Facebook
.
Update from Wednesday, January 20th, 2021, 4.36 p.m.:
The new
social media app Clubhouse
has also triggered a hype in Germany.
This is partly due to their exclusivity: only those who receive an invitation can use it.
But data protection experts warn, because that is exactly what can become a problem.
After activating the invitation to
Clubhouse
, the app requests access to all contacts in the smartphone's address book.
When registering via a social media account, this is the
data
on the user's followers and friends.
Alpha Exploration, as the manufacturer of the
app,
collects huge amounts of personal data - even from people who do not even use the clubhouse.
Hype about exclusive social media apps: Many celebrities use Clubhouse
First message from Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 4:38 p.m .:
Kassel - In addition to
,
*, Twitter, Instagram and
TikTok
, a new
social media app is
currently conquering
Germany and is causing a lot of discussion.
One reason: The app is built on exclusivity, not everyone can simply download and use it.
Among other things, an invitation is required for this.
In addition, the concept of
Clubhouse
differs
massively from existing apps.
Now Clubhouse has even created a mess with the Telegram * messenger.
Joko Winterscheidt, Louisa Dellert, Oprah Winfrey, Drake and Paris Hilton - they and other celebrities
already
use
Clubhouse
*.
For a few days now, more and more users from Germany have been added.
But what
actually
makes the new
social media app
so special?
+
The audio-only app Clubhouse is not yet freely accessible.
© Florian Gaertner / imago-images.de
Clubhouse: How does the new social media app work?
In contrast to
, Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok,
Clubhouse is
completely audio-based.
That means there are no pictures, comments, likes and videos in the app.
Instead, you can listen to clubhouse conversations such as a live podcast * or join the discussions.
To do this, the
app
uses
so-called "rooms", ie virtual rooms or groups that can be joined.
The discussions in the various
clubhouse rooms
are mostly topic-based.
In addition to joining different rooms, it is also possible to follow topics.
Thanks to the concept, the
app
enables a
quick exchange with people who have similar interests.
Many experts are currently using the app to exchange information on their subject areas, for example in the area of e-commerce.
However, there are also closed rooms for friends.
Surname |
Clubhouse |
Art |
Audio-based social network app |
developer |
Alpha Exploration Co. |
Year of publication |
2020 |
Hype about the new social media app: How do I get an invitation for Clubhouse?
So far, the app is only available as a beta version.
The app works on an invitation principle: only those who have a name in the social media industry or who know someone who is a clubhouse member will receive a so-called "invite code" * and can join the app.
This makes the app very different from the current
and
models
.
In addition, Android users have so far been completely left out.
The new social media app only works with the iOs operating system, i.e. with an
iPhone
.
In
Germany
that is
app
become a topic of conversation a few days ago, but it is not entirely new.
Clubhouse was launched in early 2020, and in May 2020 the app was valued at 100 million US dollars.
Behind
Clubhouse
are two founders from Silicon Valley in the USA, Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, with their company Alpha Exploration Co. According to Davinson and Seth, Clubhouse will soon be made accessible to a wider audience, but a date has not yet been set.
Is the
clubhouse
hype worth it
and will it continue?
Some analysts see difficulties, because the concept currently lives from experts holding discussions for free.
It is questionable whether this will work in the long term.
"In my opinion, Clubhouse will not make it that far without money and a long-term smart concept," writes digital analyst Tim Ebner at allfacebook.de, for example.
+
Competition for Instagram, Facebook and Co.?
The new Clubhouse app is currently being hyped in Germany (symbol image).
© Christoph Dernbach / dpa
New app causes a lot of criticism: Controversy over clubhouse
Since the
app was launched
,
Clubhouse has
not only been hyped, but has also met with a lot of criticism.
Among other things, it concerns a lack of moderation of the posts, through which
hatspeech
, harassment and false information can be spread.
Companies like
and
are increasingly trying to moderate misinformation and hate speech.
Clubhouse itself created community guidelines in January to counteract this.
There is now also the option to report content.
Also the
policy
could be a problem, because "whoever another person
Clubhouse
* Invite want the app must first ensure the access to the address book allow" reported wdr.de The
app
would then not only data of the people who have the
Clubhouse
use * or who are invited are available, but also from their environment.
In addition, all discussion rounds are recorded.
The Messenger WhatsApp was recently massively criticized for announced changes in data protection.
The lack of inclusivity is also criticized, because the concept of the app completely excludes the deaf through the "audio-only" concept.
(Sarah Neumeyer)
* hna.de, fr.de, wa.de, ruhr24.de, ingame.de and tz.de are part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network.
List of rubric lists: © Florian Gaertner / imago-images.de