Reddit, the front page of the internet, may be getting a voice. The platform is quietly exploring a new Clubhouse-like audio feature.
It’s like everyone is trying to beat Clubhouse at its own game.
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Could Reddit really become a new Clubhouse competitor? Reports show that the company is quietly exploring a new feature that would enable moderator-run voice chats.
Reddit Clubhouse-like audio chats could be part of the platform’s power-ups program according to reports by Mashable. Announced in August 2020, the power-ups “experiment” involves releasing additional features for subreddits whose members purchase “a minimum threshold of power-up subscriptions.” These could be things like the “ability to upload and stream up to HD quality video,” and “inline GIFs in comments.”
Similar “perks” are listed on the Suspiciously Specific subreddit, where a power-up subscription costs $4.99 a month.
“The new [power-up] experiment helps create a framework that allows us to add ‘nice to have’ features for subreddits,” explained a Reddit admin in August. “We are starting with a few handpicked features and expect to add more as we get input from you and the communities that have opted in to our early testing.”
Should Reddit add audio chats to its platform, this would be a definite validation of the medium. While Clubhouse is seen as the pioneer, many platforms have already taken steps to integrate audio features, like Twitter Spaces, Facebook’s NPE Hotline, and the rumored LinkedIn audio platform.
