Vine is a video streaming app and website that allows users to create six-second-long videos that they can share and watch on repeat. Vine was created by Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusupov, and Colin Kroll in June 2012. It was bought the same year by Twitter for a reported $30 million before Twitter launched it to the world in 2013. It was launched as an iOS compatible app first and then six months later was also available for Android and then Windows users by the end of 2013.
Within April of 2013, Vine had become the most used video sharing app amongst all other video sharing apps. It became the most downloaded free app in the Apple Store of the year. It went viral and caught on with users that loved fast paced content.
In early 2015, Vine launched a kids version of the app that was designed with having child friendly content in mind. The app provides an automatic feed (swipe right for new content) with entertaining, “age appropriate” videos. It is currently only available on iOS devices, but is coming soon to Android.
What is it that is so appealing about vine? When it first came out, people were fascinated with the idea of a six-second long entertaining video that could be repeated over and over. The fad caught on so quickly and abundantly, Instagram decided to add videos to their list of content viewing features.
Many people got their claim to fame by becoming avid Vine creators. They were paid to sponsor products in their Vines and made a name for themselves. Most Viners focused on either comedy or music to promote themselves. Some of these famous Viners are people like Nash Grier, Cameron Dallas, Harry Styles (Yes, the One Directioner), Josh Peck (from Drake and Josh), Shawn Mendes, or Page Kennedy.
Vine most recently has been said to be on the decline in popularity ratings. As of December 2015, the platform had 200 million active users. Though that is a large number, they are currently losing members every year.
Social media analysts are saying that the reason Vine is not sticking around is because there has been a shift in what people are finding entertaining. Facebook videos, Instagram photos, and Tweets are taking the majority of millennials attention and they do not want to have to open yet another app.
Discussion:
- Do you have a Vine account? If you do, do you still use it regularly? What do you enjoy about it?
- Which Viners do or did you find entertaining when using Vine?
- Do you think the six-second limit is hindering the app’s potential for more content?
- Do you think Vine is on a major decline with millennials since its launch in 2012?
- If you do think it is on the decline, what do you think they could do to promote or revamp Vine?
OBU Social Media 
I do not have a vine account.
The ones I do find are mostly ones that are jaw dropping funny or an “Oh My Goodness” moments.
I don’t think that the limit is hindering vine at all.
I think it has dropped because the vines are being out dating by like snapchat.
I think they can make the vine limit longer so more funny things can be put into each video.
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Good point about Snapchat. When I think of Vine’s competitors, this is definitely a major one. Snapchat seems to be much easier to use in my opinion.
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I agree with you guys, for me, vine was very tricky to maneuver. Things like snapchat are way easier to operate.
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I agree that Vine is being outdated by Snapchat and that the Vine time limit could be longer!
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1. I do not have a vine account.
2. I see some vines on Facebook, and I guess the comedy ones. Sometimes the ones of puppies.
3.Not really, I think that is the whole idea behind vine. If they changed it, It would be a totally different app.
4.Yes, I rarely hear about it anymore.
5.Maybe they could try adding new feature for editing?
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The puppy vines are some of my favorites too. I really like the vine of the dogs wearing a cardboard fire truck.
And I agree on the decline within millennials. Hardly any of my friends ever talk about Vine anymore as opposed to two years ago.
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I think an editing feature would be awesome for the app!
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-I do have a vine account, but I haven’t used it in a long time.
-I mainly just watched vines posted by my friends on my Vine account, but now I watch ones that are shared by people on twitter and those are usually really funny.
-I actually really like the six second limit because I think that it adds something to Vine that’s different from other social media sites. If people were posting longer videos, there might not be as many people wiling to sit and watch them when they could just find videos like that on Facebook or YouTube. The six second limit gives people a quick way to get a good laugh in and there won’t be problems with keeping their attention because it’s only six seconds.
-I think it has definitely declined a little bit since it first became popular, but the fact that Vines are still being created and shared on apps like Twitter gives good indication that there are people still using it.
-I think allowing Vines to continuously be shared on other popular social media sites is a great way for people to have quick access to Vine and for it to hopefully put a stop to its potential decline.
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I definitely agree with the idea of the six second videos keeping people’s attention. Some Facebook videos are ENTIRELY too long, so for those of us with a short attention span, Vine makes for great entertainment.
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Going off what you said, I know some of those videos you’re talking about. I think the 45-second mark for Facebook feed videos is the “sweet spot” for them!
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I agree that Facebook videos can be a bit lengthy now days. Has that made you turn toward vine more?
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YES! 6 second videos totally keep attention because people think they are wasting no time watching 6 seconds…until it gets addicting and you can’t stop watching! But I also agree that the popularity has declined.
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I agree that people are still using it, but I agree with you Emily when you say you can tell that there is a decline in the use of it. I think the idea of vine is a creative idea. I just don’t think they thought through the idea fully.
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The ability to share Vines across other social media platforms definitely helps keep it alive! Even though I don’t remember the last time I opened the Vine app, I’ve still been able to watch tons of Vines on Twitter and Facebook.
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Thank you for all your feedback Emily! I also love the Vines and hope that the decline stops at well!
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1. I have a Vine account, and I used it regularly in high school to watch and share funny videos with my friends. I have not used the app iin some time though.
2. When I used Vine, I loved watching Marcus Johns.
3. I do wish that some of the videos were longer, but I think that’s what makes Vine so fun. The video creators have to be artistic enough to get their message across in such a short amount of time.
4. Through my own experience, I definitely think it is on a major decline.
5. To promote itself, I think Vine should partner with another major social media to feature their videos. They were popular on Facebook for awhile through the famous Viners promoting their pages, so I think it could become popular again.
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Yes, Marcus Johns is hilarious! I totally watched those too. I know what you mean about the six second being both good and bad. Sometimes I want to see more because it is so funny, but I also think it is funnier because it is so short!
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Marcus Johns was pretty funny! I enjoyed watching him too!
I agree that I wish some videos were longer because they’re cut too short, but at the same time I enjoy seeing how creators think up creative ways to get their messages across.
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I did not think about the Vine being short to cause Viners to become more creative with their content! That’s interesting!
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Do you have a Vine account? If you do, do you still use it regularly? What do you enjoy about it?
Have it, but I stopped using it because it got really annoying.
Which Viners do or did you find entertaining when using Vine?
I really liked Landon Moss’s vines, along with vines from Fall Out Boy, Josh Peck, Thomas Sanders, DeStorm Power, and Brandon Fraser (the guy who became famous for “Why You Always Lyin'”)
Do you think the six-second limit is hindering the app’s potential for more content?
Absolutely. The limit may require Viners to be more creative and fit more story into the video, but it may take me two or three times to actually get the message.
Do you think Vine is on a major decline with millennials since its launch in 2012?
Yes, because I think we all share a similar mindset: we want content that isn’t too lengthy but isn’t too short either. I’m going to point to NowThis and AJ+ videos on Facebook and Twitter as an example: they’re short enough news videos that you get the crucial information (compounded with easy-to-read text elements in the video), but they also aren’t short enough to where you have to re-watch the video time and time again to understand it; it’s “scrollable” video. Vines, however, are way too short to comprehend usually unless it’s a prank.
If you do think it is on the decline, what do you think they could do to promote or revamp Vine?
Extend video length to 10 seconds maximum (mainly to take on Snapchat). Also, have better editing tools available so Viners don’t have to download lots of apps to edit the videos or export it to a computer to do it!
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I agree! I think that Vine got a little annoying after a while. And the editing tools was a fantastic idea – I didn’t even think of that!
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I think the “scrollable” videos are definitely becoming more popular than the six-second ones Vine has to offer. I can’t tell you how many of those short little cooking videos I see (and watch) on my Facebook timeline every day–they’re short enough to get the point across quickly and not lose your attention but also long enough to make sure the point is understood.
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Thanks for all the feedback Matthew! Also, thanks for mentioning some of your favorite Viners!
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I have a vine account, but I don’t use it anymore. I used to like really clever and artistic videos, although I soon was annoyed by how ridiculous the content in the app was becoming – especially in the “humor” section.
I no longer find any of them entertaining. Although one viner I really enjoyed while I used the app was named Tom Deslongchamp. He is an incredible artist and an all around fantastic creative.
I think the six second limit on Vine is similar to Twitter’s 140 character limit in the sense that it makes the app distinct and forces people to get clever with the limited space.
I am not sure if it is on the decline or not. My guess is that it would be, seeing how even more popular Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and other apps are becoming.
I think that Vine should stop. It was an interesting fad that led to many pop culture jokes, but it should end – just as MySpace and others did.
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I agree with the clever/humor part…the videos used to be really funny and I literally would LOL..i guess societies standard of humor is declining…
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Or maybe people are getting less funny? haha
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Touche 🙂
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It’s interesting to hear you think Vine should stop. I think Vine skyrocketed for humor and now it’s dying because the humor section sucks. The problem is that it’s always the same person posting and recycling jokes. There is no variety and it’s hard to find new faces in the popular section.
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I also love the humor section on Vine! Thanks for commenting!
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Do you have a Vine account? If you do, do you still use it regularly? What do you enjoy about it?
Yes I have one but I honestly don’t even know the last time I have used it!
Which Viners do or did you find entertaining when using Vine?
I always liked the singing ones..never really had a particular favorite, but any attractive guy that sang well..definitely enjoyed those!
Do you think the six-second limit is hindering the app’s potential for more content?
I think the whole point of it is to be short, simple, and to the point! If you want a long video make one for youtube
Do you think Vine is on a major decline with millennials since its launch in 2012?
Yes for sure
If you do think it is on the decline, what do you think they could do to promote or revamp Vine?
Maybe just better ways to edit and publish videos
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It’s also hard to find and sort videos that you like. It seems that you can spend the majority of your time scrolling through stuff you don’t like in order to get to the stuff you do. They need to make a search engine capable of providing people with content based on what they search for.
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That’s a great idea! I seem to find myself not looking at Vine anymore because I can never really find many that interest me
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I also love watching the Vines where people sing in them! They are some of my favorites.
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I do have a vine account, though I haven’t used the app in over 2 years! I think it is hilarious, but I ended up spending way too much time scrolling through videos so I deleted the app. I find just the funny ones with people being goofy the most enjoyable. I think the 6 second limit adds more because you have to fit good or funny content in such a short amount of time. I think it has majorly declined. However, I think there are still many people that use and enjoy the app. I think they could do something with some other major sites, but I also think they could just make a push or add a new feature that might draw some more people in.
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I have a Vine account, but I deleted the app from my phone around a year ago. I needed more space for other apps and pictures so I deleted Vine because I hardly used it and it was taking up needed storage.
I really enjoyed Lele Pons, Josh Peck, Alx James, Katie Ryan, Us The Duo, Matt King and Rickey Thompson. I would only get on Vine to catch up on stuff they posted and then get off. So if they didn’t post very much I wouldn’t get on very much.
I think it could be a little. I kinda like the six-second limit though, because then things aren’t drawn out and long. If a Vine is really funny I enjoy watching it play over and over.
Yes, I think there are other things that are taking its place. Like Instagram and Snapchat
I don’t think there is really anything they can do without changing the whole app.
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Do you have a Vine account? If you do, do you still use it regularly? What do you enjoy about it?
I do not actually!
Which Viners do or did you find entertaining when using Vine?
I don’t know the name of any specific ones, but I do watch some on Twitter!
Do you think the six-second limit is hindering the app’s potential for more content?
I think that’s what makes it so unique. You never know to what variation you are going to see this video. Is it going to be all over the place, or will you actually stare at the same object? You never know, and I think with the 6 second limit it captures and keeps the attention span of all its viewers.
Do you think Vine is on a major decline with millennials since its launch in 2012?
I don’t just because videos in themselves are on an upward climb just because people are becoming to lazy to read anything. They would rather watch videos, so I do not see a decline in the app anytime soon.
If you do think it is on the decline, what do you think they could do to promote or revamp Vine?
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1. No I don’t have a vine account.
2. I was never really into vine so I didn’t zone in on certain users. But if I were to watch some they would have to be comedic.
3. I think the 6 second time frame is exactly what vine intended it to be. I think they wanted to challenge people to tell their whole story within the 6 seconds.
4. I do think that it is on the decline because, when it first launched it was very prevalent, now you don’t hear too much about it.
5. I don’t know what could be done to revamp it. Maybe add some cool features, without exactly stepping on the toes of snapchat.
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Maybe you could add some editing software like Snapchat does. You would just have to make sure it’s different enough that you don’t get sued. I think it would definitely get people interested again though.
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I think ultimately they may have to partner even heavier with Twitter to get their name out there again. Like you said, don’t step on SC’s heels but still make their videos easy to get to and appealing
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I think it will be interesting to see if they will revamp the whole app and add editing tools.
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Do you have a Vine account? If you do, do you still use it regularly? What do you enjoy about it?
I do but I don’t use it regularly anymore.
Which Viners do or did you find entertaining when using Vine?
All of the comedy Viners.
Do you think the six-second limit is hindering the app’s potential for more content?
No, I think it is great for offering surprising and awe inspiring messages in a short time. It is like the Twitter of video services
Do you think Vine is on a major decline with millennials since its launch in 2012?
Yes because the content has become stale.
If you do think it is on the decline, what do you think they could do to promote or revamp Vine?
I think the premise you are working with is fairly limited. Content creators have a hard time generating funny stuff over and over to meet the demand that the site had.
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I also think that the time limit is hindering Viners from more comedic content.
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I do have a Vine account, although I haven’t used it in a very long time. I mostly used it so I could watch all the humor vines–there was some hilarious stuff out there! I didn’t have any particular Viners that I watched; I would mostly just scroll through the popular page or what people I followed had revined. I think the six-second limit forces people to be creative in whatever message they’re trying to convey, and I think it was part of the general appeal of the platform–even if they spent hours scrolling through Vines, people felt like they could justify just watching a video that was a few seconds long. That being said, I think the limit is a factor in Vine’s decline–other social media platforms have picked up on the popularity of video sharing and have made it available in their own capacity. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat all have video sharing capabilities that still impose some time limits, but are not as constraining as the six-second limit Vine swears by. I think that Vine could reverse this decline by adding just a few seconds to its limit.
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I didn’t even think of that, the point being even if you had spent hours on the app, the videos being short made you able to justify them in your head. I know that was the case with me at least for sure.
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True! I could sit and watch Vines forever just because they short and entertaining and could watch a bunch in a row!
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I did have a Vine account back in the day. It lasted only a month though before I deleted it. I think it was the fact that I wasn’t great at making videos, and you had to have a certain talent for that, plus the fact I was really addicted to watching them myself. So I knew I had to delete it before I became addicted. I loved the What White People Do vines. I think the 6 second limit is great. It makes Vine appealing. Our short attention spans want something here now, and Vine gives us that quick short burst of information. I think Vine is on a major decline. I rarely if ever see anyone on it, and I know I haven’t used it in forever. I think opening the app up and making it easier to navigate would help. I know personally I found it hard to find certain videos.
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I’ll definitely have to look up the What White People Do Vine account!
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