The day the thun thun thun dropped forever
From best I can gauge, around high noon central time on 17 Jan 2017, Vine died before our very eyes. While warning was there, and a date was seemingly set in stone, the time was always in question.
Some stayed through until the end, everyone’s use appeared in rapid decline for a while, even people who had abandoned the platform completely seemed to be upset at the impending closing, many returning for a final goodbye(though many just dropped ads to where to follow them next).
As the day began, to many, it looked like they were heading to the gallows, the sadness apparent. Many likening it to the last day of school before graduation, others swore to find ways to continue on, some indifferent, and I am sure there are countless emotions that I haven’t begin to touch on.
My journey started a few days after Vine launched(24 January 2013). A friend mentioned it to me, last thing I wanted was another dumb app that does what 5 other apps on my phone already do. I was in a major life transition at the time as well, months prior to that fateful January day, my world had been turned upside down.
To say I was a mess was an understatement. I had a lot going on, no outlet, I was in a bad place. Then, boom, suddenly I had a place where initially no one was watching. I could say or do anything. Those early days you couldn’t tag people, your app itself was majorly stripped down compared to now. Not even the front facing camera, and if you didn’t have an iPhone, you didn’t have Vine. Yeah, it needed help, but, I could throw things out there. Then I found others.
Like many in those early days, we didn’t really have a clue what the fuck we were doing, it was like new fallen snow, not a foot print or blemish, it was a blank canvas. Like so many of us, my first vine was simply my dogs, because, why not? It’s safe, I mean, who hates Boston Terriers? Shit, how about cats? I’ll do that too, people like cats(name drop, who knew I’d later become friends with Corduroy Cat?), and eventually something drew me to the front of the camera.
I tried different styles, suddenly I’m trying to get a joke from point A to Z in one take and in 6.5 seconds, it took time, but, before too long, subconsciously I knew when my time was up and I adapted my style to be more flexible, I went for a style of vining where you talk to someone off camera. It could be anyone, sometimes, maybe you felt like I was talking to you, I hope it made you feel like you were part of the conversation.
Rarely in life do I proceed without a plan, but, Vine gave me a freedom I haven’t felt anywhere else. It gave me a testing ground, I put out a LOT of awful content. Thousands of vines, days of content, millions of views…I will admit without hesitation there was more bad than good, but, it was real. It was an outlet.
Watching those notifications come in, seeing hashtags your created trend, people remaking or supplementing your vines because they liked it, a random comment from someone you admire…it could be an amazing rush.
We made friends, we fell in love, we lost people, we laughed, we cried, we were outraged, we all lived. People I feel like I have known my whole life came to me through a dumb app with short form videos. Opportunities came to me through that little green icon on my screen. I could keep going, everyone who was around the app long enough will have a Vine story, some of them echo similar tales, some far different…but, I think what many seem to look past, is the fact that it was never going to be forever. Nothing is. We took so many things for granted, and when it was gone, it hurt for whatever reason it may have hurt.
Vine did not define you, me, or anyone. It was a platform, we used it, I hope everyone grew a bit, and now it’s time to move on. We learn lessons, we look back fondly, but, I think we can all agree that it got stagnant. A strange hobby for many turned habit. Cherish those memories, but, don’t dwell long, don’t mourn Vine. Get out there and create. Find out more about you. There is an entire world full of people to connect with, get out there and continue to grow.
Sure, some random Thursday at an even more random time, I’ll instinctively grab my phone and move my thumb to where that Vine logo once resided on my phone, but, that 6.5 second idea that entered my brain will likely never translate over as it once did. I create differently now, and not just with words. I’ll still make some videos, and I learned so much, especially about myself…so, I’ll thank Vine for adding more to my toolbox, for connecting me with lifelong friends, and just for letting me be a fucking weirdo when I needed to be.
Looking forward to seeing where our journeys go from here, don’t get stagnant. Follow me elsewhere, most my links are at crunkpanda.com
Your favorite Viner’s favorite Viner,
Crunk Panda ™
