Everyone has their favorite Vine, whether it’s that little kid saying “Lebron James” or the news lady getting knocked over by a goat (my personal favorite).
Somehow, the six-second looped videos captivated social media audiences for years and inexplicably made even the most mundane or simple acts suddenly hilarious. Vine stars (including little kids and adorable animals) skyrocketed into Internet stardom overnight, taking their viral catchphrases with them.
But since Vine has recently begun to see a decline in its popularity from its heyday in 2013 and 2014, Twitter, Vine’s parent company, announced in October that they were “discontinuing the mobile app.” Obviously Twitter, which has seen its user growth and revenue stall in the past year and just laid off almost 10 percent of its staff, is having trouble competing with the other social media giants. It’s been said that Vine didn’t do enough to keep up with the rapidly changing world of social media, as its competitors Instagram and Snapchat were constantly introducing new and exciting features (I’m looking at you, face swap). With Twitter’s troubles in mind, the death of Vine comes as no big surprise.
But, to be clear, this doesn’t mean you’ll never watch another Vine again. Twitter is only getting rid of the mobile app, meaning that you’ll still be able to access your favorite videos on the Vine website and other video-hosting sites, including Twitter. So don’t fear – your favorite old Vines aren’t going anywhere. It’s just that no one will be able to create a new Vine … ever again. So, if you want to keep creating hilarious short videos, you’ll have to take your skills to other platforms. For now, all we can do is mourn.
R.I.P. Vine, 2013-2016.