As soon as news of the Supreme Court annulling Oli government’s House dissolution and appointing Sher Bahadur Deuba as new prime minister broke, common folks, as expected, started parsing the court decision on social media. A vigorous online debate ensued on Clubhouse, the voice chat social media app that was relatively unknown in Nepal even six months ago.
After the country went back into lockdown starting April 29, Nepal’s urbanites again found themselves stuck in their homes with little to do. While the previous lockdown in 2020 saw Nepali internet users throng already popular social media apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok, this year, Clubhouse caught their imagination.
Initially designed only for iOS, the app released in April 2020 had become a global success within a year of its launch, picking up particularly after it opened for Android users. Clubhouse’s unique features and people’s ‘fear of missing out’ because of its invitation-only registration probably clicked with social media users all over the world and in Nepal.
Dharma Adhikari, a Nepali media commentator and professor of journalism at Shantou University in Guangdong, China, says Clubhouse’s popularity “is indicative of a shift from the online face-time we do so much these days to an extended form of interactive ear-time, especially during the pandemic”. He says the audio-based platform provides a less intrusive and yet casual, personable alternative to Zoom or other video conferencing platforms. Social media wise, “just as characters (text) are to Twitter, and video is to YouTube, audio, for now, is to Clubhouse”.
As Nepalis gathered in their masses to talk, listen, and be heard on a plethora of topics on Clubhouse, speculations started swirling whether Clubhouse and other similar social media apps were now a threat to traditional media outlets like radio, television, and even newspapers and online news portals. With power and control over media handed over to people and information being shared at the speed of light, this speculation was natural too.
But instead of audio-based social media apps making traditional platforms irrelevant, adds Adhikari, “They will complement the textual and visual media. After all, we have so much to tap into on the real-time and interactive potential of audio on social media”.
Not in the design
Sanjay Gupta, a popular radio jockey and media-person, agrees. “No matter what people think, apps like Clubhouse will never replace radio or any other traditional media,” he says. Gupta, who is on Clubhouse and has also hosted a program on the app, has of late been unable to spend much time on it because of his work. “I love the fact that people are getting to speak out and express their opinions freely through the app. That’s the beauty of democracy. But no, it is not going to displace traditional media forms.”
Presa Shrestha, an RJ who also works in the corporate section of a popular media house, reiterates the same. She gives the example of the print media that was speculated to die soon after the advent of online media portals. But print continues to be relevant.
“Apps like Clubhouse can create a tough competition and change how traditional media operates,” says Shrestha, who has temporarily switched from radio to Clubhouse as she continues to moderate the ‘Off-Topic at 9’ room which has been running every day for the past two months. The room has over 9,000 followers and an average of 200-250 daily listeners, which is down from an average of 300-plus listeners a month ago. Shrestha labels her Clubhouse phase as temporary and says she will switch to radio as soon as the corona situation improves.
Journalist and social activist Bidushi Dhungel, who also engages in Clubhouse rooms both as a speaker and moderator, finds the live-stream podcast function of Clubhouse convenient as she can listen to the topics of her interest even while she’s doing other stuff. Also, news travels fast on Clubhouse and listeners can get minute-by-minute updates on the topics of their interest.
But replace traditional media? “No!” pat comes her reply. “I don’t think Clubhouse was designed to replace traditional media. What it does is give people who were not previously represented by traditional media a voice. It breaks the monopoly and self-censorship of traditional media.”
She adds that more than challenging traditional media, Clubhouse has changed the way conferences and conclaves are held in Nepal. It has eased the logistical hassles of finding speakers and audiences for different topics and helped diversify the speakers’ portfolio. “So now, instead of focusing on getting a bunch of people together for a conference, the organizers can deliberate on the ideas they want to discuss,” Dhungel says. “Still, this is only for a certain class of people who are interested in current affairs and not the common mass who still prefer traditional forms.”
Business-wise
Besides politics and current affairs, the most discussed topic in Nepali Clubhouse at present is undoubtedly the Nepal Stock Exchange. There are daily NEPSE rooms and some have up to 5,000 participants. Investment and finance expert Mukti Aryal is a popular voice for the NEPSE audience. In the past two months since Clubhouse became popular in Nepal, Aryal has participated as a speaker in more than 30 NEPSE-related discussions. While he welcomes Clubhouse’s easy accessibility, Aryal also worries that “as it’s a loose format with no legal ownership and accountability over information, credibility might be an issue.”
The growing popularity of Clubhouse also creates various business opportunities. While Clubhouse users like Shrestha, Dhungel, and Aryal are satisfied with creating and curating content for the discussion rooms they participate in, Truebug Technology, a Kathmandu-based IT company, has identified commercial opportunities in the app.
Truebug has opened accounts called “Clubhouse Nepal” on Facebook and Instagram to specifically promote Clubhouse sessions hosted by Nepali individuals or groups. Through well-designed flyers posted regularly, the Clubhouse Nepal pages give vital information on upcoming discussions. “We’re doing it purely out of interest right now,” says Suraj Kumar Shrestha, CEO of Truebug. “But as its popularity grows, there might be business opportunities in this too.”
Shrestha says Nepalis host 20-25 discussion rooms a day on Clubhouse. The number of participants is also high and the Clubhouse Nepal social media pages are getting high engagement for the detailed information they give out. “People want to advertise their events on our pages and even the business community is showing an interest,” adds Shrestha.
Still, replacing traditional media is a far-fetched idea for Shrestha as well. For those who are not tech-friendly or do not have the time to engage in long discussions, radio, TV, and newspapers are always going to be the main sources of information. “Clubhouse itself is getting serious competition from other apps with similar features,” says Shrestha.
Costs and benefits
Sunita Raut, faculty at the Central Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University, too believes social media applications like Facebook, Twitter, and now Clubhouse give common folks the power over information dissemination. Yet she is also concerned. “Social media sites are mushrooming and people are engaging in them haphazardly, without considering possible consequences,” Raut says. “I think a lot of users are unaware of the darker sides of high social media exposure.”
Traditional media houses are established means of communications and their reliability and validity are time-tested. They have been integrated into the societies and are liable in case of misinformation. Social media apps, on the other hand, are just business and marketing tools, Raut explains, which exploit people’s gullibility. “So whatever social media apps have come in the recent years, they’ve already peaked. Look at Tiktok, which has now been banned in a few countries,” explains Raut. “Hence the traditional media platforms, which give a balanced picture, will always remain relevant.”
For 27-year-old Sudeep Sapkota who works in a home repairs and maintenance company, Clubhouse is a ‘dirty app’ that his friends talked about frequently. At their urging, he installed the app, went to ‘adult 18+ rooms’, and found himself embarrassed. He immediately uninstalled the app.
Asked if he tried finding something more productive on Clubhouse, Sapkota replies that it was not his cup of tea. “I am fine getting my information from radio and TV. I don’t think the app is for people like me,” Sapkota says.
Sexagenarian Ram Krishna Bhandari, who goes out on his morning walk rounds with a pocket radio, could not agree more. Bhandari’s radio is audible to everyone as he makes the rounds of his colony. “I use Facebook to connect with my family living abroad and that’s it. I do not even listen to music on my phone,” says Bhandari. “Radio and newspaper keep me informed and I still have some old tapes I listen to time and again. I don’t know about any Clubhouse, nor am I bothered to find out.”
Adhikari, the media professor, says Nepalis, thanks to the remarkable expansion of radio in the country over the years and our historically aural culture, are already primed for audio-based social media such as Clubhouse. But, in the end, much like any other media platform, “sustenance is a real issue, and given the demands for oversight and moderation, the questions of quality, credibility, and civility will only become louder”.
