What is awesome? Well, those are my Vines, the six-second videos that helped groom a generation of famous comedians and also ushered in the era of endless looping vertical videos that have consumed us all ever since. If you weren’t there at the time, most wines might seem completely meaningless. But if you were on the Internet when Vine was burning brightest — a much more brief moment than you’ll remember — you’ll probably still find yourself saying “look at all those chickens” more than you should.
for this episode of version historyWe tell the story of wine from beginning to end. It takes longer than six seconds… but not by that much. David Pierce, Sarah Jeong, Mia Sato, and Marina Galperina chronicle the app’s early rise, its acquisition by Twitter, the fights between the platform and creators that ultimately cost Vine its most important artists, and the app’s very early demise.
Ultimately, the story of wine is mostly about its legacy. Not only did it help advance the careers of the Paul brothers, Shawn Mendes, Zach King, Lele Pons, and many other famous creators and celebrities, but it also created a format and an interface that is now absolutely everywhere. (It was so influential that someone is trying to bring it back, but to no avail so far.) Without Vine, would we still have TikTok, Reels, and Shorts? Perhaps. But they will be different. And maybe worse.
This is the eighth episode of version historyAnd the last episode of our first season. Thank you so much to everyone who watched, listened, sent us feedback and gave us ideas for future episodes! Season two is already in the works, and will debut in a few weeks. Moving on, if you want to find shows, there are two places to go:
And if you want to learn more about the history of Vine and some of the platform’s best moments, here are some links to get you started:
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