A mere four years after its launch, it has now been announced that Vine is going to be shut down in the coming few months.
Vine, which allowed users to create and share six second long videos, was bought by Twitter shortly before its launch in 2012 for roughly £25m. However, Twitter has now said that it will be discontinuing the app in the near future.
No specific reason was given for this move, however the announcement came shortly after it was revealed that Twitter would be reducing its workforce by 9%. The decision may also be linked to the fact that Twitter now has a built-in video facility and has also launched the livestreaming app Periscope which it bought in early 2015.
As Vine grew, it developed its own dedicated fan base and acted as the platform for its own Vine ‘celebrities’ whose videos were followed by millions of people.
However, with the rise of other apps that perform similar functions such as Snapchat and Instagram, Vine has seen many of its celebrities defect to other platforms. This is partly down to the fact that Vine hadn’t seen a major update in a long time, whereas alternative apps such as Snapchat have continued to innovate.
The good news for the Vine fans out there is that the website is being kept online, and you will still be able to access and download your Vines for the foreseeable future. However there is no knowing when this may change, so it may be sensible to download your favourite videos now while you still have the chance.
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