It was the year 2013. It may feel like so long ago but it honestly was not. While it was five years ago 2013 also gave us the addition of the social media app Vine. Vine allowed users to create six-second videos and tell their stories. It allowed people to get their creative juices flowing and most importantly allowed people to step outside of their comfort zone.
At first, Vine was not considered a big deal but over time it developed into a platform and Twitter decided to buy it. It then became apart of Twitter and so many people found ways to enjoy Twitter and Vine. I always looked at Vine as a way for people to enjoy short clips. Some people may not want to sit through a long video waiting for the punchline but Vine allowed people a quick punchline and an experience different than usual when looking at videos. So many people got to express themselves through Vine and so many friendships have been created with Vine. We may forget about Vine at times but Vine was there when we needed it the most.
On Tuesday I found out that the co-creator of Vine, Colin Kroll had passed away. It is common for people who have a relationship to lose their battle but I couldn't help but feel sad when hearing this. Success is something people dream of and fame and fortune is a goal for several people. However, with this feat comes responsibility and awareness of how the success can change you. Several noteworthy actors and musicians have died due to the stress of success or the idea that they are invincible. He had success in his life but he was known for disputes with bosses and it appeared that parts of his life had been sabotaged. The article was not clear if he had planned on taking his own life but I understood that we live in a society that some people want to ruin the lives of others.
Think about the celebrities we have lost over the year. We mourn them but seem to forget about them. I understand people die every day but we need to look past this. Some deaths can be avoided and we can help people when they need it. Kroll might have needed some help and if he turned to drugs and alcoholism there can still be hope to get him sober. We sometimes mourn the people we lost but don't think about how we could help them. We remember them for what they did but maybe they needed a cry for help like everyone else in this world.
Thank Colin Kroll. You helped create something that I do not take for granted and helped give me one of my best friends (Shoutout to Anna Clardy) and create some great memories. You allowed me to think of ways to be creative and look at how I view life in a different way. Vine allowed me to witness people in my age demographic create videos that were not only comedic but were able to display several traits. However, Vine was shut down in 2016 and people began to forget about it. Vine compilations were uploaded to YouTube but it was not the same and while we still remembered Vine it was evident that Vines did not provide the same spark as earlier.
