Goldfish are rumored to have six-second attention spans, which when pondered, does not seem too impressive. Only focusing on something for that short of a time seems silly, but most people have done so many times throughout the past three years. When the entertainment application Vine was released on January 24, 2013, most people were skeptical. How could something that only lasts six seconds keep the attention of millions of people throughout the world?

Vine always had issues competing with other platforms like YouTube and Snapchat, in the way a younger sibling would struggle trying to compete with older brothers. The application allows people to post six seconds of comedy, singing, or dumb pranks on a continuous loop. In theory, this sounds pointless, and sometimes was, but caught just enough buzz to sustain the new app. This led CEOs of other media platforms to gain interest in the new fad.

The company who owns Twitter bought Vine as an extension of Twitter hoping to catch enough buzz to sustain the app. However, as Twitter is having financial issues, they have to make cuts. Vine and all their employees were the first to go. In the beginning many millennials were unsure about this new app, but after a few hilarious vines, they were convinced. The app was a hit for about three years, but Vine struggled to compete with other social media apps like Snapchat and YouTube. Many “viners” had left the app months ago to either start on other projects, or just because they were bored with the platform and the short amount of time they had to entertain.

The viewers of Vine were very confused when they heard vine was shutting down about two weeks ago, even though many have not even opened the app in months.

Junior Bella Canedo said, “I don’t even go on it anyway, but it’s still sad. Its the end of an era.”

The creators of the content that has made many laugh had many mixed reactions about vine shutting down. Some were sad and posted vines thanking their followers and the app that gave them their start. Others took a more comical approach making one last funny vine to send the app off. Most surprising of all, though, was most creators claim that they saw the app’s death coming about a year ago and were not shocked at all. The creators blame the corporate incompetence on why many of the famous viners had left so long ago to start on YouTube or other entertainment venues.

De Storm Powers, who is one of Vine’s most famous creators, claims in a YouTube video that Vine’s corporate leaders did not create a welcoming community for the creators, which may come as a surprise to most watchers. Creators were not paid through Vine; they had to get third parties involved through sponsors and product promotion. Most of the creators didn’t even have an email to contact Vine CEOs if something went wrong. Apparently about a year ago, Vine also realized the app was headed downhill and held a “secret meeting” for themselves and all their creators to try to create a solution. When the creators gave the company their demands, the CEOs did not oblige, and one by one the creators left, taking all their fans and views with them

Powers said, “Vine didn’t die; it committed suicide.”

Luckily Vine shutting down does not mean all previously made vines will be deleted; it just means that no one will be able to post new material on the app anymore. Just in case, most creators also posted all their vines on other platforms like Facebook and YouTube so their fans can easily access them. The exact date of when the app will be shutting down for good has not been released yet so if anyone wants to make one more vine, they should make it soon. Vine ending is also the ending of an era which helped shape the way most viewers think and brought a new generation of comics into the world. With a heavy heart we say goodbye to Vine.

Erin McCarthy // Staff Writer