VINE: A GOODBYE, OR JUST A SEE YOU LATER? (( post six ))

With the wide array of social media outlets available, Vine was a category in its own. Similar to Instagram in its scrolling and viewing capability, this app allowed the user to post and view brief, 6-second videos ranging in entertainment value/genre. This app was not only responsible for videos going viral, but users as well. Many Vine account holders quickly became "vine-famous", racking up followers and launching into stardom. 

One example of how this mobile app skyrocketed a user to fame is the teenage Canadian singer, Shawn Mendes. Mendes started his career by posting videos of himself singing and hanging out with friends, first gaining popularity with lovestruck teen girls (he is just SO dreamy), then with the industry. Since his rise, Mendes has come out with multiple chart-topping hits, thus granting him credibility as an artist. 

Mendes is just one example of the many young Vine stars that gained popularity through this user-friendly app, so when it was announced that this app would be shut down, disappointment among users and celebrity-hopefuls was obvious. 

Following the announcement of the app shutdown, a statement was released giving users a glimpse of hope. Although the majority of the app's features will no longer be available, the app will carry in a new form. Re-branded as "Vine Camera", users will be able to either post the brief videos to Twitter or save them to their phone. 

Although the app will live on in some form or another, the long-term repercussions of this drastic PR misstep remain to be seen. Users continue to mourn what Vine used to be, causing people to wonder where this app will go next and what will remain of it.