Twitter shocked the internet on Thursday when it announced Vine will soon be discontinued in the coming months. This big announcement happened shortly after Twitter announced job cuts, with plans to lay off 9 percent of its work force, totaling to a stunning 350 people. After Vine took the internet by storm in 2013, the sudden announcement left the internet feeling bittersweet about the inevitable end of the 6-second phenomena.
Viners who became well-known through this simple mobile app shared their sentiments as they bid farewell to the medium that lay the foundation of their successful internet presence. Although many of them left the platform to increase their audiences in other outlets such as Youtube and Twitter, they reiterate they will never forget their roots. Famous Viners like Thomas Sanders and Gabby, posted videos on Youtube shortly after the announcement to express their gratitude for the mobile app that got them where they are today.
However, this sudden discontinuation is not rare. Major outlets of the past, such as MySpace, have been replaced by newer and more advanced varieties of social media. This existential event poses the question of whether or not any of the popular outlets are safe from discontinuation, for example, similar platforms like Youtube and Facebook. The current social media outlets of today, may be completely replaced by more popular forms of online interaction tomorrow.
However, Vine mentioned in the blog post, that all content uploaded to the app will be there as the website will remain online, “where you will be able to access and download your vines.”
Hopefully, we will be able to see a comeback for Vine, but until then, we shall say goodbye to the sensational and innovative app which allowed such humorous creativity to unfold.