So true. I was thinking about Clubhouse recently and realized there are two basic forces that conspire against successful new platforms:

1) Going mainstream / mass appeal means the lowest common denominator drops, whether that's content or quality of conversation

2) Commercialization incentivizes the wrong things - see Twitter and how its been optimised for "engagement" above all else (not quality of content, or user happiness etc).

Interesting things are happening at Clubhouse but surely they know how this will go. I think successful new platforms that want to maintain their integrity should be looking at paid membership. Substack might be OK because of that.

Add The Athletic, a subscription service, to the pile. Early adopters were enthusiastic and polite in the comments section. Even just one year in, the tenor had changed significantly.