Didn’t Download Vine? Me Either.
But, I wish I did.
A Sad Goodbye
Late 2016, a year which will live in infamy- Twitter attacked the social livelihood and hearts of many young Americans. During this year, Vine was taken from us. Yes, Vine is gone, but always in our cyber hearts. Go ahead, shed a tear. I did when I realized I had missed out on an era of humor, entertainment and connection.
I was never a Vine user myself, this I regret! Although, I cannot remember a specific reason for this. Maybe I simply did not understand the purpose for the app. Looking back, I understand perfectly. Unfortunately, it is too late and I feel a small sense of disconnect from my own generation. Life moves forward and there will be new apps to love, but my heart will always hold a place for Vine and the memories we could have made together. *Sigh*
Welcome to the World (Wide Web), Vine!
The year was 2013, Vine was born and it was the happiest time for the lives of social media users. We can thank the founders of Vine- Rus Yusupov, Dom Hofmann, and Colin Kroll (Rest in Peace, Colin)-for producing a platform that shaped the future of social media and spurred a new social culture. Together, the trio created a social media app that gave us six second videos played on a continuous loop, (Honan, 2017).
These rapid fire videos changed the landscape of social media, indulging in users’ short attention spans that allowed for quicker content digestion and wider audience reach.
Like vines naturally do, the social media app spread! Using iOS and Android capability, Vine was an “anyplace” and “anytime” creative outlet that invited people to connect, no matter what communities they existed in. These connections fostered new users and earned Vine the fourth place spot in Most Downloaded Apps of 2013 amongst millions of others in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, (CBS News, 2014).
Say What?
“Eyebrows on Fleek!” I must confess, before writing this article, I had no idea where this phrase originated, yet I have said this hundreds of times. Vine user Peaches Monroee created a video of herself using the word “fleek” as a positive reaction to her eyebrows. Monroee’s Vine post on June 21st, 2014 received “over 20 million plays, 492,000 likes and 411,000 revines” in the first five months of upload, (Eyebrows On Fleek, 2019). Fleek is now a widely used term and has been mentioned by Merriam Webster as a word worth knowing.
Terms and phrases born from Vine are here to stay. This new vernacular has integrated into social acceptance and exists as part of an ever growing ecosystem taking new forms in society. Taco Bell joined the “fleek” bandwagon, tweeting “Taco Bell on fleek,” in October of 2014, (Muenter, 2014). Two years later, rapper Cardi B titled a song “On Fleek.” Today, an Instagram hashtag search for the term produces over 2.5 million results.
Vine- You have to get it, to get it.
I didn’t get it, and that’s the problem. Missing out on the chaos and creativity of the Vine era has left a small gap in my social aptitude of my own generation. I am not privy to the inside jokes that most of society seems to know.
Even from the digital afterlife, Vine continues to be glorified for its contribution to pop culture. Video sharing app, Tik Tok, has been used as an archive to preserve and celebrate Vine videos with 7.5 billion search results for #vine. More so, online quizzes have emerged on popular entertainment sites like Buzzfeed challenging its readers to test their knowledge of references made in Vine’s best videos. For those who are bold enough, a mock AP College Board Vine Exam exists for Vine enthusiasts! However, if you need to prepare, many websites exist to help Vine students study.
The End is just the beginning
While many Vine references and vocabulary seem commonplace in today’s world, I struggle understanding. In its absence, I look to YouTube for compilations of Vine’s greatest uploads, remembering what life was like when times were simpler, shorter, and only six seconds.
As social media moves forward, there will be more opportunities to keep up with everything that comes with it. For now, I will continue playing catch up and strive to catch the next big wave of social media.
Citations
CBS News. (2014, January 1). Snapchat, Vine among top smartphone apps of 2013. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/snapchat-vine-among-top-smartphone-apps-of-2013/
Eyebrows on Fleek. (2019, October 23). Retrieved from https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/eyebrows-on-fleek
Fleek Meaning and History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/fleek-meaning-and-history
Herrman, J. (2020, February 22). Vine Changed the Internet Forever. How Much Does the Internet Miss It? Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/22/style/byte-vine-short-video-apps.html
Honan, M. (2017, October 4). The founders of Vine open up about their six-second sensation. Retrieved from https://www.wired.co.uk/article/loopers
Kircher@4evrmalone, M. M. (2018, March 2). How Many Questions Can You Get Right on the Vine AP Test? Retrieved from https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/03/take-the-vine-ap-test.html
Moreau, E. (2019, July 1). Remembering Vine: Everyone’s Favorite Six-Second Video App. Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-vine-3486082
Muenter, O. (2014, December 29). Still Wondering If Your Brows Are On Fleek? Me Too. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/articles/55940-what-does-on-fleek-mean-a-brief-timeline-of-the-phrase-that-no-one-really-understands
