US app no ‘ free speech heaven’
Political discussions on Clubhouse easily one- sided
US social audio app Clubhouse seems to have attracted Chinese users in recent days, with many going there for discussions on a wide range of topics. But unlike some Western media reports describing the app as a “free speech heaven,” many Chinese mainland users said political discussions on Clubhouse are often one- sided and pro- China voices can be easily suppressed.
Clubhouse, which was launched in 2020 in the US, saw sudden popularity in the US when Tesla founder Elon Musk hosted his audio meeting on the platform at the end of January, along with other high- profile attendees such as Vlad Tenev, CEO of Robinhood.
The chat was first announced on Musk’s Twitter and was also livestreamed on Youtube, boosting the app’s popularity.
In the beginning, the US social audio app’s demographic of Chinese users was a niche geek community because it requires an IOS system and Apple ID from outside China for downloading, and also works on an invite- only model.
But it seems that since last week, many Chinese users have been able to go to e- commerce platform taobao. com for a clubhouse invitation. Invitations to different discussion rooms can be bought for up to 300 yuan ($ 46.4) on the platform.
Clubhouse appeared to have become inaccessible to Chinese mainland users on Monday.
On Sturday, users from Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan went to a Chinese- language room on Clubhouse to exchange opinions. This candid and direct discussion became a hot topic on Sina Weibo.
While some users hailed the discussion as an opportunity for people across the Straits to deepen their understanding, some users criticized discussions on political topics, saying they could easily become one- sided.
A Chinese man surnamed Zhao, 30, who works in Texas, US, enjoys talking about technology and culture on Clubhouse. He also joined a room of young people from the Chinese mainland and the island of Taiwan talking about the Taiwan issue.
However, he found political issues boring, as the people in the room simply repeated their own opinions, rather than discuss them critically.
A 29- year- old Chinese woman surnamed Zhang, who works in an IT company in Silicon Valley, joined a chat room on Xinjiang, but left after half an hour because she was not able to bear the one- sided comments.
Zhang noted that she doesn’t believe the rumors against Xinjiang mentioned in the room, as the accusations lack solid evidence, and said that maintaining independent thinking is important when joining political discussions in the Clubhouse.
“The platform doesn’t even verify the authenticity of users. How can us users verify the truth of other people’s statements?” Zhang asked.
She noted that only the moderator and some users in the speaker zone can speak in that room. It is difficult for people holding opposite opinions to speak.
The sudden “popularity” of Clubhouse in China has caught the attention of some Western media, with many saying that Chinese users have “flocked” to the “free speech heaven” for political topics.
However, Chinese users disagree with this view, saying that they dislike the idea of politicizing the platform and prefer high- quality talks on a wide range of topics rather than onesided political ones.