If anyone can make Clubhouse work, it’s Black people

Welcome to Minority Report, a weekly newsletter from the LEVEL team that packs an entire week into a single email. From Clubhouse’s recent glow-up to the week in racism, from pop-culture picks to a must-read LEVEL story, it’s everything you need and nothing you don’t. If you’re loving what you’re reading, tell a friend to tell a friend.

Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.

So you’ve been hearing about this Clubhouse thing on Twitter. Maybe people have been making vague references to rooms and conversations and piqued your interest. Maybe you’re one of the well-connected few who has received an invite (currently the only way to join). Maybe you stumbled on the hilarious hashtag #ClubhouseChallenge, which mocks the tropes that have already emerged from early use.

Or maybe you’re too ashamed to ask what everyone is talking about. Don’t worry, we got you.

Depending who you ask, Clubhouse is the latest blank canvas of a social media app ripe for Black innovation and influence — or it’s the newest destructive force that will further divide us and ruin careers and livelihoods. Here’s how it works: Once you’re logged on, you’re able to join various private or public chat rooms focused on different topics. Oh, and it’s all audio. That’s right. Every room is like a conference call. Some are like informational, seminar-type gatherings in which folks disseminate worthy advice about anything from marketing and branding to TV writing. Other rooms allow people to debate topics like This Is Us or Lil Wayne.

I’ve been on Clubhouse for a couple of weeks and have yet to figure out how the site speaks to me in any meaningful way. First of all, I have Zoom meetings all day, so the appeal of having a similar experience in my free time is lost on me. Also, I’ve jumped into some rooms where so-called experts are talking about topics I’m pretty familiar with and, uh, they aren’t experts. I generally find myself entering rooms and leaving pretty quickly — like within 15 seconds. Sometimes it feels like being at a conference I didn’t sign up for.

But there are places where Clubhouse can be fun. I’ve enjoyed the less formal rooms, especially ones that are just…