Authentic Connection

I was in work mode the other day when I got interrupted by a Clubhouse notification, which I reflexively went to dismiss.

On an off chance, I glanced at it and saw that there were 5 people — all of whose names I immediately recognized as thought leaders in my field — who were about to start a live discussion on a topic which is near and dear to my heart.

So I decided to hop into the room and listen in for a few minutes, fully expecting that I'd get bored and move on as is the case with most internet content these days.

And that's when something really surprising happened. As I listened to these experts discuss the broad strokes and nuances around a topic that I'm incredibly passionate about, I started to feel connected with them and their respective thought processes in a subtle way that I've never really felt before outside of real-world conversation.

At the surface level, I felt that just by listening to this discussion, I was actively leveling up my world view and becoming a better version of myself. Everything from their word choices to the inflections of their voices to the casual interplay between the hosts made me feel like I was at a lively dinner party with a unique chance to connect with and learn from these people whom I look up to.

On a deeper level, there was something special about this experience that I've never really felt from passively listening to podcasts, audiobooks, or from watching YouTube videos. It was a feeling of genuine connection, mimicking the in-person networking that I've missed so much during COVID.

And on a more meta level, it kind of felt like my consciousness was hanging out in the same room as these folks' consciousness while our physical bodies faded away. Trippy, huh?

Coming back down to Earth for a minute, what I'm describing was my Aha moment with Clubhouse.

Sure, there's a bit of FOMO going on here. And sure you can get a lot of the same effect via podcasts or certain YouTube channels, but there were two key differences for me:

• First was the genuine sense of connection that I felt. This feeling was so strong that I ended up cancelling my next two meetings to make sure I could stay for the whole thing. E.g, when's the last time you changed your schedule on the spot to make sure you could listen to a podcast?
• Second, and this is a big one, was the fact that towards the end of the hour long discussion, I was able to "raise my hand" and join these folks on stage to ask a brief question. This was such an amazing way to end the experience that I can only compare it to being at a high end conference with a panel of industry experts and being able to participate. Except instead of me (or my company) paying thousands of dollars and everyone coming together for an in-person conference, this was free (at least for now), remote, and super lightweight.

Why audio?

Audio strikes a nice balance between different formats by being both extremely expressive while also being really low effort to create — you just need to talk. Your voice carries with it a lot of your personality — your vibe — without all the anxiety that comes with filming video.

No need to worry about what you look like or how messy your house might be. You can easily multi-task while listening. You can pop in and pop out quietly. And so the conversation ends up being much more authentic, which lends itself to forming more genuine connections.

You can definitely achieve the same effect with video, but there's a much higher barrier to entry. Video's more about projecting the perfect image, getting the lighting right, and wanting everyone who watches to envy your lifestyle (sigh). You still get some of that with social audio, especially when less self-aware folks join and talk about themselves for way too long. But the default is a much more authentic, simple, and grounded experience.

I'd summarize the three main points as:

• Low effort - social audio is very low effort to create and engage with.
• Expressiveness - social audio allows creators to express their authentic personality relatively well.