Social media apps are becoming more and more available, but some are coming to an end. Vine is a six second video sharing app. It allows for creative circumstances in just six seconds. I was doing some research to understand why Vine is shutting down when I saw an article titled, “Vine is dead. Is Twitter next?” I had to laugh.
Of course Twitter is not next. Twitter is adapting. Facebook is adapting. Even our newspapers and radio stations are adapting. That is why they are here today.
Vine originated in 2012 as a way to capture casual moments in life, but it quickly transformed into sharing creative moments instead. While at one time Vine was the top choice of apps, now it’s being shut down due to lack of use and monetary issues. Twitter bought Vine about four months after its launch for a reported $30 million, according to CNN. It wasn’t long after Vine began that Instagram launched new 10-second videos, ultimately starting the decline of Vine.
So I decided to take a look at why Vine is calling it quits. First of all, Vine didn’t make any drastic changes like Snapchat or Instagram. Vine’s concept was simple, and it stayed simple throughout the entire process. Unlike Vine, Snapchat is successful because it is constantly changing and adapting to what the audience wants. You can send things more personally with your audience on Snapchat through video messaging. The app continues to add filters, news, entertainment and special “live” features that show what is happening across the world in real time. The way I get my news, more than half of the time, is through Snapchat. I get my hard news from my CNN subscription on Snapchat, my entertainment news from People, and I find style advice from Refinery 29. I know I am not the only one who does this.
Freshman psychology major Miranda Weberding said she also finds her news on Snapchat because it’s more convenient.
“It’s easy because when I wake up in the morning, I go through all of my friends’ stories and then watch the discovery pieces like CNN, and a lot of the election coverage,” Weberding said. “It’s easier than turning on my TV to wait when I have it at my fingertips.”
Vine is also incredibly expensive to operate. The New York Times reported that Vine was costing $10 million a month to operate. According to the multimedia site, The Verge, there are potential buyers of the app, but for less than $10 million.
If I had been working for Vine, I would have told them to adapt to the interactive culture of today’s social media. Instagram succeeds at its branding of organizations, celebrities, companies and everyday users. Snapchat also succeeds with the relational needs of the audience and by providing news sources so the audience is engaged. I would have collaborated with both Snapchat and Instagram to enhance Vine.
Another way Vine could have succeeded, would have been to add more effects to the video itself, so users could slow down, fast forward, replay or even animate content.
Vine may be dead, but this doesn’t mean the rest of social media will soon follow. So go log onto your account, save your videos and say goodbye to Vine.
