Connection is the Crown Jewel of Social Audio, not Gems
Exploring the Role of Gamification in Our Online Lives
June 16, 2021 began like any other Wednesday. I woke up, checked my email, checked my myriad social media accounts and jumped onto Clubhouse to listen to NewNewsNews. Several hours later, rooms started popping up on there with titles like “Greenroom vs Clubhouse.” I quickly surmised that Spotify, on the heels of Twitter launching Twitter Spaces, had just launched a social media competitor called Greenroom. A few days later, Facebook went on to launch Live Audio Rooms. LinkedIn, Discord, Reddit and others are following suit in diving into the live social audio space.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but both Greenroom and Facebook’s version differ from Clubhouse’s no-frills interface in one key way: they have gems and stars, respectively. These digital items can be doled out ostensibly to reward speakers for bringing value, aka “dropping gems” as it has become known throughout Clubhouse. On Clubhouse, t…