Welcome to the Club

The meteoric rise of Clubhouse is rooted in the history of coffee-houses

What we’re witnessing now on Clubhouse (and other social audio apps) is nothing less than than a compressed version of history.

☕ Coffee-houses began as public places to gather and have discussions about news, politics, and ideas in the Middle East in the 1400s and become an integral part of London life in the late 1600s.

🏛 This gave rise to generations of scientists, politicians, and taste-makers that drove culture.

🎙 Some interactions are lectures, others are debates and discussions. You can show up to be part of a celebrity’s audience, or you can become an active panelist and speaker.

🐻 Ultimately, social audio is “the Goldilocks medium,” as Jeremiah Owyang put it: “text is not enough and video is too much; social audio is just right.”

Join me for a look at how coffee-houses evolved and the similar role that Clubhouse is filling right now.

Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.