Influencer Orchestration Network™

Influencers Say Final Goodbye To Vine

Twitter announces plans to discontinue Vine and influencers mourn . . . for a minute

By @thathbduran

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it can also overshadow and overtake the original. Such is the case with Vine, the six-second video platform that served as a launch pad for so many influencers.

Twitter announced on Thursday that after its crazy, three-year ride, they will be discontinuing the mobile app sometime in the coming months. “To all the creators out there — thank you for taking a chance on this app back in the day,” Twitter posted on Medium. “To the many team members over the years who made this what it was — thank you for your contributions. And of course, thank you to all of those who came to watch and laugh every day.”

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The announcement was posted the same day that Twitter published its Q3 Earnings report. “We have a clear plan, and we’re making the necessary changes to ensure Twitter is positioned for long-term growth,” Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey said in a statement. Vine was clearly one of those changes.

The popular source for bite-sized entertainment has continuously been overshadowed by Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram Stories, leading to an exodus of Vine stars in search of bigger audiences and of course, monetization. In March, Twitter said that it had “conducted hundreds of brand deals” with its users and making “better tools” a top priority.

Sadly, those tools either never manifested or failed to include (or entice) brands to the platform. “Vine’s demise doesn’t surprise us,” said Robin Boytos, head of analytics at Ayzenberg Group. “While we’ve been researching the end of year update to our EMV Index, we’ve had virtually no requests for pricing and insight on Vine.”

Despite their quest for greener pastures, the Vine stars of yesteryear have been expressing their condolences over Twitter—and using the opportunity to promote other channels. Thomas Sanders, for example, stated that the app’s demise will allow him more time to create comedy for YouTube.

Dancer, Amymarie Gaertner got her start on Vine, and shared her thanks on Twitter, as well. Gaertner noted that she will continue to dance on other platforms.

Not done watching Vines? Twitter has assured fans that the site will remain intact for the time being. “We’ll be keeping the website online because we think it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made. You will be notified before we make any changes to the app or website.”

Time will tell whether Twitter will some day revisit and resurrect Vine with improved monetization, but in the meantime these influencers aren’t letting Vine’s demise stand in their way.

Featured image: Vine star Nash Grier