Vine Compilations
Every older member of Gen-Z and even some younger Millennials have most likely heard of the social media platform called Vine. Although defunct today, compilations of the original content that once thrived from the platform still roam the internet today through the likes of YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels.
The concept of a shorter version of YouTube videos really came to fruition in the early 2010s, and with the boom of social media during that time, it was the perfect time for platforms like that to make a name for themselves. This is a prime example of diffusion of innovation, which states that “whenever a new idea, technique, or technology -an innovation- is initiated by a creator or innovator, it beings to make its way (or not) through social networks” according to the text. (Superconnectedness)
Vine was created in 2012 and officially went live to the public in early 2013, and quickly made a name for itself. The platform allowed users to create short videos, oftentimes random with no meaning, and upload them for others to interact. Nevertheless, these videos seemed to be what the internet needed at the time, quickly becoming a very popular app with “the second youngest follower group behind Snapchat” in 2015. (Digital Media Knowledge)
The platform produced over 300 million videos, including some classics that the internet will never forget, and here are a few of my favorites:
Although Vine itself is in the rear view mirror, some of its creators continued on their path to internet stardom, producing some big-name content creators and celebrities. Some of these big names include Jake and Logan Paul, Liza Koshy, King Bach, Shawn Mendes, and David Dobrik.
Despite all of the success, the platform was short-lived and unfortunately shut down just 4 years later in early 2017. The short stint left both creators and users speechless and confused to see such a beloved space be ridded in such a short amount of time. However, both the app itself and its parents company, which so happened to be Twitter, had several issues. Some of these included: “failure to meet market needs, monetization problems, and competition problems.” (Failory)
For me, Vine signified digital culture because it was a one of the first times in my life where I felt involved in an online community, even though I was never active on the platform, nor did I create any content. It was my generation that really showed creative aspects to the point where audiences really started to enjoy the content being produced and paved the way for similar content creation apps in the future like Musical.ly, which is now TikTok today.
Word count (without quotes): 388
Sources:
Chayko, M. (2021). Superconnected: The internet, Digital Media, and Techno-Social Life. Sage.
Curtis, C. (2023, December 8). 26 of the funniest Vine videos of All time. USA Today. https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/funny-vines-greatest-all-time-videos
Failory. (2024, January 10). Why did vine shut down? here are our main 5 reasons! https://www.failory.com/cemetery/vine
Gelbart, B. (2019, May 8). Then and now: 14 popular vine stars. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/vine-stars-then-and-now-2019-5#shawn-mendes-went-from-a-viner-to-a-world-famous-musician-6
Students_Master_MTM_2021. (2022, January 31). Vine – a quick rise and fall. Digital Media Knowledge. https://digitalmediaknowledge.com/audiences/vine-a-quick-rise-and-fall/
Vine Compilations will always hold a spot in my soul. Although I never had the app, I would always watch vines on YouTube. I feel that Vine was a great creative space allowing for many different people to post the videos they want. Vine’s structure was unique because it took such a short video time. This challenged creators to get their message across quickly and concisely. The shorter videos also play into its simplicity. I think that the simpler these videos are the more enjoyable they are. This format led to the successful platform known as TikTok, and other platforms using this format like YouTube shorts, Instagram reals, and even Snapchat Spotlight. Vine is still very much talked about and plays a part in many conversations, making it an everlasting presence in digital culture.
Hello Nicholas,
I remember the old days of vine when everybody was talking about it and the big creators like King Bach and Logan Paul were talked about a lot. I think that vine was the start to an era of new apps. Following vine there were many other platforms that created a system similar to the short video style posts. For example, there was initially Musically and then TikTok, then apps like Instagram and Youtube came out with Instagram reels and Youtube shorts. There are also a lot of smaller apps that people use that have a similar posting style such as iFunny. But these apps mainly came out with this style because of the popularity and success with Vine. I wonder what would've happened if Vine stayed up and didn't get shut down. The possibility of not having apps like TikTok and the Instagram Reels and Youtube Shorts seems likely. Also I wonder how big vine would be if it stayed up because in only 4 short years it amassed a pools or 300 million videos.
I think that Vine is going to be an important piece of Digital Culture in the near future. Even now, when you ask people about old vines, there are only nostalgic ideas and feelings that come back and even farther down the line it'll serve as kind of a remembrance to a simpler time for Gen Z and the younger Millennials.