It's official -- Vine is a dying form of social media. Twitter announced its plans to put an end to Vine due to it's steadily declining user rate. In the last week, the app has been a flurry of goodbye vines, caution to the wind vines and vines pretending nothing is wrong and the world of 6 second long videos isn't crashing and burning around us.
I know what you're thinking. "Vine is just an app," you say. Well I say Vine isn't just an app. Flappy Bird was 'just an app'. That Donald Trump poo game was 'just an app'. Vine was a tool. Do you need to procrastinate? Open up Vine. Need something to preoccupy you as you use the bathroom? Open up Vine. Not particularly funny but need references that will get a laugh out of your friends? Open up Vine. Vine was the new toilet-side entertainment, procrastination tool, and comedy teacher all in one glorious app.
Of all of the social media that exists, Vine was one that didn't ever place a strong focus on our personal lives. We never had to worry about being something that we weren't. Facebook and Instagram are there to make your relatives and friends think your life is awesome and interesting and that you didn't spend 3 years after college bartending because it's impossible to get a job in your field right now. Twitter is so you can see exactly what Kim Kardashian is doing right this second and wait anxiously for the next time B.O.B decides to go off on a rant about how the Earth is flat. Snapchat is so we can feel like celebrities and post what happens to us at every second of the day, as if anything we do is really that interesting, and post almost every second of a concert that we go to just so no one misses a thing and knows how cool we are for going to a concert. Vine, on the other hand, is all about strangers and whatever entertains us. We follow every day people whose sense of humor appeals to us. It was about substance over image.
Vine's 6 second long videos don't allow for much to happen, which worked to their advantage. Six seconds is the perfect amount of time to entertain without boring your audience. Vines are just short enough that if you show them to a friend, you won't notice your friend looking away or asking how much time is left. They're short, witty clips that allow our short attention spans to enjoy a moment where nothing else matters but the fun that's about to ensue.
Like most good things in this world, though, Vine is coming to an end. Not only does this mean no new vines will be made, it means he app will be deleted, taking all of the fantastic existing vines with it. As someone who still used the app regularly to escape from the real world and relax with a laugh, this news is awful. Where else am I supposed to watch relatable videos that start off with, "that feeling when...," or watch little kids dancing to songs that little kids shouldn't be listening to or hear Batdad yell "JEN"? I'm sure these vines are somewere on youtube but if I start watching old vines on Youtube, I'll end up clicking all of the relatable videos until I find myself awake at 3am watching a video on what to do if a snake bites you. Youtube is an endless vortex that I refuse to explore. Vine was simple. You just had to scroll and enjoy.
I'll be fine, really. Another app will come out that will give me a reason to put off writing my papers and studying soon enough. Until then, if you need me I'll be actually studying. (See what you've reduced me to, Twitter?)
