Everybody’s favourite video-hosting service is making a come-back. Yep, you heard it right, Vine is returning… this time as Byte.
ICYMI, Vine was the six-second video-sharing app which at its peak had over 200 million active users and was the birthplace of millions of idiosyncratic, comedic home-made videos, spawning countless pop culture references.
Vine was the video-sharing app that took the world by storm. Now it’s making a comeback – but will it hold up against TikTok, Instagram, and all the rest?
Then in 2016, Vine was discontinued. This has been said to have been due to Twitter (who acquired Vine in 2013) wanting to cut costs. A former Vine executive also credited the discontinuation to the rise of short-form video sharing capabilities in other apps, like Instagram.
Vine was remembered as the app which was taken too soon, leaving behind it an immense cultural legacy – of pointless, yet hilarious videos.
Now, it’s been announced that Vine will be returning in the form of a new video app called Byte which launched over the weekend – created by Vine co-created Dom Hoffman.
Byte will recall the six-second video format of its predecessor, however, it will be an updated version of the app, with an endless, scrollable feed.
One of Byte’s biggest competitors will be the video-sharing social network TikTok which allows videos of up to 15 seconds or 60 seconds when looped. At this point, TikTok seems to have the upper hand when it comes to features – allowing remixability, augmented reality filters, transition effects, and more.
However, one point of difference will be Byte’s promised monetary aspect. Whilst the full details haven’t been released, Hoffman described that Byte will offer revenue sharing with creators, similar to how YouTube allows accounts to make money from ads.
TikTok is currently under fire for its censoring of LGBTQ+ content, as well as content addressing the Chinese government’s treatment of Uighur Muslims. It’s also facing a lawsuit in the US for its transferring of data to China.
Perhaps this will give Byte the edge it needs to make a comeback – but only time will tell.
In the meantime, take a trip down memory lane with this complication of iconic vines.
