Why Did Twitter Decide to Shut Down Vine?
Twitter recently handed Vine users around the world some bad news. So what happened to the once promising video app, and what can we learn from its closure?
When Twitter announced it was shutting down Vine, many people had to think back to the last time they used the 6-second video sharing app. Although Vine exploded in popularity in the early 2010s, it had experienced a sharp downturn in use among smartphone owners.
Origins
Twitter bought Vine in 2012 for $30 million, attempting to get into the short video market. For a while, it looked like the sky was the limit for Vine. Users took the format and ran with it, creating unique and sometimes strange clips that could quickly go viral. “Vine stars” were born as aspiring actors, musicians, and comedians all began using the app to gain large followings.
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At its peak in 2014, Vine certainly didn’t look like it was going away anytime soon, and Vine stars could snag massive paychecks by creating Vines specifically for brands. Alas, it couldn’t go on forever, and in October 2016, Twitter let the remaining Vine users know that it would be shuttering the app for good.
A Fall from Grace
What happened? In short, competitors emerged that allowed users to engage each other in a similar and more popular format. Instagram introduced 15-second videos to its audience in June 2013, and later increased that limit to a full minute. Then there was the explosion of Snapchat and its 10-second videos. As millions of users turned to Instagram and Snapchat for their video fix, the interest in Vine began to die off.
Vine did relax its 6-second constraint in 2016, but it was simply too little too late. Twitter had been hoping to find a buyer for the app, but was unable to, adding to an already complicated financial picture for the social media giant. Last year Twitter cut 300 jobs, and announced that the end of Vine would coincide with another round of layoffs totaling about 9% if its employees, or roughly 350 people.
The Silver Lining
Luckily for those who have enjoyed the wild and creative Vines that were once so popular, Twitter did announce that it would keep previously created Vines online for viewing. So while the app may be a relic of the past, you can still watch all your favorite Vines if you feel like reminiscing.
Vine may be gone, but it’s a reminder of how quickly things can change when it comes to apps and social networks. Sometimes there aren’t any hard and fast answers as to why an app takes off — or why users ditch it.