.Opinion: Going Beyond the Hype on Clubhouse

EDITOR’S NOTE

I’ve been listening to podcasts since around 2010 (thanks, “Stuff You Should Know!”), and sometime in the post-“Serial” boom I started listening every week to “Crime Writers On,” a podcast that reviews both true-crime podcasts and other documentaries. Over the last couple of years in particular, I’ve noticed a trend: I listen to almost all of the podcasts they review, and watch almost none of the documentaries.

I’m not sure what this means, exactly, except that when I read Liza Monroy’s cover story this week on how the Clubhouse app has become a social media phenomenon by ditching the entire visual aspect and focusing solely on audio-only discussions and conversations, I could totally relate. Maybe, as she suggests, we are all a bit starved for group discussion, and even the sound of the human voice, in the aftermath of lockdowns and quarantines. Maybe we are also visually overloaded after a year of staring at more screens than ever. In any case, I think her story gets much deeper than a lot of the shallow, hype-y stories about Clubhouse. Check it out!

Also, in case you haven’t seen it around yet, our Best of Santa Cruz County 2021 magazine is on stands now. It’s big and bold and looks great; I hope it will be a shot in the arm to all of the local businesses, artists and others who were recognized by thousands of voters in our community, and need support from all of us right now.

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

CORRECTIONS

In our new Best of Santa Cruz County magazine on stands now, we mistakenly omitted the winners for Best Takeout in the “Food and Drink” category. The first-place winner for Best Takeout was Scrumptious Fish and Chips (scrumptiousfc.com), and the runners-up were Charlie Hong Kong and Zameen. Also, the runner-up for Best Real Estate Team should have been listed as Sol Property Advisors. We regret the errors.

 


PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Submit to [email protected]. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.


GOOD IDEA

TOOLS FOR CHANGE

The High Council Foundation is teaming up with Home Depot, Target and Trader Joe’s, among other businesses, to open a Community Tool Shed at Boulder Creek Community Center. The tool shed will provide free resources for hundreds of residents in need after last year’s devastating CZU Lightning Complex fire. The local nonprofit is taking donations, including shovels, rakes, hoes and gloves. The HCF can be contacted at [email protected] or 831-234-1602.


GOOD WORK

RESCUE REMEDY

Congressman Jimmy Panetta has announced the allocation of $25.46 million in federal funding for Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, as well as other Central Coast health centers, through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The funding will help counties and community health centers prevent, mitigate, and respond to Covid-19 and enhance healthcare services and infrastructure.


QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We live in a technological universe in which we are always communicating. And yet we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection.”

-Sherry Turkle

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