Photo/Illutration A screenshot of the Clubhouse app on a mobile phone (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Not a day goes by that I don't look at Line, Twitter or Instagram.

Social media has become totally indispensable to my daily life and work, but I do feel the pressure of having to keep up with the latest information.

I'm feeling something like "social media fatigue."

And yet, I couldn't resist trying out a new app the other day.

Called Clubhouse and considered an audio version of Twitter, it was launched in the United States in spring last year.

Since it can be used while cooking or commuting or wherever, it is gaining a growing following in Japan.

Anyone can start a chat on their favorite topic. There is only voice. No writing, no photos, no video. Every chat is a one-time thing, and you can't post a comment on someone else's comment.

To try out the app, I started a chat, the subject of which was this column--Vox Populi, Vox Dei. The chat went on for about half an hour, but because it was a real-time conversation, it strayed off the subject from time to time.

The relaxed exchanges were unexpectedly delightful. Total strangers joined us, one after another.

In retrospect, it was in spring 2007 that the word Twitter first appeared in The Asahi Shimbun. Back then, most tweets read like laid-back diary entries.

Never could I have imagined then that Twitter would eventually gain the power to move society and also became a tool for cruel online bullying.

In the meantime, innumerable social media platforms have appeared, only to disappear quickly. I can't tell how Clubhouse will fare in the days ahead.

People who don't use smartphones will probably laugh and tell me, "If you've got social media fatigue, all you have to do is get rid of your smartphone."

But precisely because we are not free to get together in person, I think many people crave a social media platform for casual chats.

I am actually reassessing the importance of making small talk.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 3

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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