What started as an app for 6 second videos, exceeded all of our expectations, and later expanded to be one of the most used social media apps world-wide. From all the scare-cams, to the unfortunate rise of MAGCON, Vine was always that one app you would go to for a quick laugh.
The amazing thing about Vine, something that most of us will miss, is how challenging it was to actually make one. You had to make a story and end with a punchline in under 6 seconds. Making someone laugh or be entertained is challenging on its own, but with a time limit, it becomes even harder. This is where people started to be creative, and even make short skits. Actors, singers, musicians, and all other talented people found an expressive outlet to show the world who they were.
Vine helped so many individuals branch out and discover passions they weren’t even aware of, all from talking to their phones. They would have not been discovered any other way without this form of social media, and although some people on Vine got greedy and full of themselves, many Viners are happy they had this opportunity and are forever grateful to have been noticed by a handful of people.
The complete termination of any form of social media really has not happened since MySpace. Crazy enough, the deletion of Vine is a big deal to people because their starting place of fame and recognition will be no longer. They will have to resort to other apps, but no app is like Vine.
Vine was the app of us millennials. We made it ours. It challenged us to be quick, and only watch something that valued our attention. We want a fast-paced interaction, a quick funny video, and we won’t settle for less. This is why we all loved Vine, and why it was so unique. Keeping people entertained and having good content is what encompasses Vine; it is made for people who demand seeing something that is worthy of their time. With Vine coming to an end, especially the main content creators who made a career off of it, it leaves them feeling empty. One Viner, Brandon Calvillo, said “It was a party you were nervous about at first, but by the end of the night you had made friends with everybody there. Now the party is over, and the sun is coming up.” It is surely a bittersweet feeling for all of those who were a part of Vine, because with the loss of it, a part of them is lost too. We all shared so many laughs together in this special little community. We were a bunch of weirdos who all supported each other’s weirdness. So many people benefitted from this app, and they were able to come out of the place they were hiding and finally speak up and share jokes and interact with other people. The viewers, who might have not created that much content, helped spread creative and funny videos from the not so well known Viners, and we helped build them up and give them the credit and acknowledgment they deserved. Good things come and go, and although the ending of Vine is leaving some people feeling sad and upset, we have to remember that we do not know what app will be on its way next. There will be other places to upload creativity and laughs and memories and even bits of personal life. We just have to be patient, and no matter what, never stop creating.
