Does a clubhouse create a fair environment for all users?

The hottest new platform on the block is the Clubhouse a voice-based application. Weeks ago, it was announced that the invite-only app was estimated to be worth $ 1 billion. Clubhouse, currently only available for iOS users, is unique in that it allows users to access influencers, public figures, celebrities and even billionaires in a unique way. -like any other social media platform currently out there. The app was launched in March, a time that was so convenient for so many people back home because of the pandemic. With the excitement that came with the new app, some are worried that Clubhouse, which is still technically in beta mode, could be stifling voices that need to be heard. “I started noticing that people were getting censored,” said MarQuis Trill, who is an entrepreneur, investor and business advisor who has amassed nearly 30,000 followers on the app. Trill has over 12 million followers across all of its social media accounts and has partnered with tech behemoths like Facebook and Google. Trill sat down with Forbes to share his experiences on Clubhouse and offer suggestions on how the app can create a fairer and more enjoyable environment for all users. “So… you have the first adopters. You guys are young, they just use the app for fun … then you have the multi-millionaires, the people who made millions of dollars from making e-funnels, and websites and sell .coms… then you are going to do the celebrities who are going to come. They haven’t even arrived here yet. You have Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, but they reveal little things… from my experience, there are a lot of conversations between everyone who is trying to fight for the audience. And [there’s] the app doesn’t have enough listeners, because Clubhouse saves everything. And by curate I mean they put you in a category of what you talk about and your titles, and who follows you, and what network you have. ”

Club users are encouraged to follow individuals who discuss topics that suit them. At any given time during the day, there are rooms on a range of topics from marriage and relationship advice and entrepreneurship, to race relations, holistic health and everything in between. Many users thought that the app was refreshing due to the ability to talk freely about various topics, especially the more controversial ones, but the question remains whether users can talk to free on the app. “They keep track of what people are saying and how they are saying things. I know of a few people who have suspended their accounts, ”explains Trill. The app’s ongoing struggles ensure that all users feel safe on the platform. Some have complained about the app’s evaluation tools, which may not allow them to control large conversations. There are claims that the app allows anti-Semitism and racism on the way into public conversation. What is special about the Clubhouse is that, amid racist claims, black users have retained a particular culture on the app. “Most of the people who use the app are black,” Trill points out. “I think about 60% of users are [that] they are black. ”

While the app has a lot of potential and this may be the next big thing, more needs to be done to ensure the safety of its users, especially those from marginalized communities. Safeguards must also be in place to ensure that consumers can speak freely about controversial and central issues. The app makes it all too easy to arm the block button and use en masse against anyone who doesn’t like it. “Well, of course there is censorship, and they are a modern app,” says Trill. “It simply came to our notice then. They grew too fast. I’m sure they didn’t have more than 15 employees. You know? My account has been deleted … we were clearing a room to teach people how to do media … so I was an example, but because an audience of new people are coming in and out of the room, they didn’t know I was the real creator of the club they were in and they were watching. So they told me… and then within two, three hours, my account was suspended… I sent out several emails to the support team… I got nothing back , even to this day. I’m back on the app because of my great Twitter followers and [my followers] tweeting [the founders] over a thousand times … I got my account back the same day. But for the smallest users and those who didn’t get a response back, that had been waiting weeks… that’s a problem because… we don’t know what we can and can’t say on the reference. ”

Reflecting on the app’s success to date, Trill says “The clubhouse was built [by] Black people at the end of the day. When the Silicon Valley tech people were on, it was not very popular. When it was Oprah, and Gary Vee or whoever it was, Mark Zuckerberg, whoever it was, it was not very popular. They didn’t like it until the music industry jumped on board, they didn’t like it until the Black community got on the app. Once we got the app, Black Twitter caught it, and then it went viral from there … so the Clubhouse app is built on the backs of black people. We deserve a few chairs at the table, at the end of the day. And I can’t say too much about what they’re doing, because they may be working with some black people behind the scenes, but we don’t know… but apparently, they’re not working with it an South some because we would know … it would affect the culture and someone could talk about it. Someone would be on stage in the town halls – we’d know. And you have to make that known … it doesn’t have to be a secret. You need to let the community know… let the culture know that you are working with people like us so that we can feel safe on stage. We may feel like we are not getting used to it, or we may feel like there is someone who speaks our language. They need to preserve the culture while they have it… they need to provide some sort of security and some security so that we can use the app, and be comfortable using the app. ”

This interview was lightly prepared for summary and clarity.