Elon Musk May Bring Back Vine

Elon Musk brings the future closer with his Tesla cars and SpaceX rockets. However, he may bring a blast from the past: Vine. The short-form video platform shut down in 2016. Now, Musk sees Vine as a way to attract more online visitors that prefer that type of content.

The Twitter CEO posted a poll asking, “Bring back Vine?” It had four million voters, with 69% saying yes to his plans. 

Why would Elon Musk reactivate Vine?

Photo Credit: www.yahoo.com

Elon Musk recently acquired Twitter to create a “shared digital town square” for the world. However, he had another reason for purchasing the platform.

He expressed plans to turn Twitter into an “everything app” dubbed “X app.” It is a super app, a mobile program containing numerous functions usually found in separate apps.

It would benefit from gaining visitors who prefer different types of online content. Specifically, the super app could become a more prominent destination for videos if it offers TikTok-like clips.

Thus, reviving an existing short-form video app like Vine could be an effective strategy. Yet, former Twitter product director Sara Beykpour tweeted that its code is more than ten years old.

Beykpour suggested anyone who wants to reopen Vine would need to write a new code. She noted that she worked at the defunct social media company, leading its shutdown. 

Why did Vine fail?

Photo Credit: comicbook.com

Vine offered short-form clips before TikTok became popular. It allowed people to post six-second videos that play on a loop. Some celebrities like Canadian music artist Shawn Mendes came from the platform. If it started careers, why did it fail and close down?

First, it did not support its content creators. People could register and post videos for free. However, Vine did not provide ways to monetize content. Second, other social media platforms helped content creators make money. YouTube enabled people to earn income by placing ads in their videos. 

Unlike Vine, people could post videos longer than six seconds. Moreover, Instagram lets them reach a wider audience. Famous Vine creators like Piques and Marcus Johns organized with fellow users to voice their concerns. Each wanted $1.2 million and a list of demands.  

It turns out that this group of 18 people was driving the majority of online visits to Vine. Unfortunately, Vine did not give what it wanted and closed in October 2016.

Conclusion

Nowadays, TikTok offers monetization options that Vine did not have and more. For example, its users earn money from the Creative Fund. They could also post live content via TikTok LIVE and receive digital gifts. Then, people could convert those gifts into real money.

Will Elon Musk’s Vine revival work? Stay tuned to Inquirer USA to find out. It offers the latest updates and news regarding various topics.