In just 6 seconds a pet cat leaps at the camera, close ups of random faces flash across the screen, and a bowl of ice cream disappears magically before the viewers’ eyes. With an app that loops short video clips at the touch of an iPhone screen, social media-users connect not only with friends on an easy-to-use visual entertainment platform, but also with the latest form of art. While still struggling to meet users’ constant demands for more, this relatively new app is taking over the Wifi world. If you’ve already guessed the name from your first few seconds of reading, Vine is probably just the app for you.
Officially launched in January of 2013, Vine produces a feed of videos that users are able to like, comment, and share on other social media apps like Twitter. The main interface holds up to date clips made by friends, while a single tab offers a link to explore public vines, search for friends, view recent activity, and manage profile settings. Once logged into a Vine account, users can create their own short films by tapping the camera icon, pressing and holding anywhere on the iPhone screen to shoot, and releasing to pause or stop and upload the video.
The app is easy enough to use, but the real difficulty comes into play when deciding on subject matter and content. With Vine’s 6-second time limit, the cameraman is forced to jam-pack every millisecond with detail, which can be tough to do. Junior Kiara Roffo, who created her Vine account in early April, often logs on to Vine just to watch other peoples’ videos. “I don’t really make them. If you go through the news feed and watch other people’s that you don’t know it can be so awkward and funny,” Roffo said. According to this user, Vine doesn’t just have to be an outlet for art, but simply entertainment.
Yet, Vine’s solution to the need for efficiency and immediacy in entertainment, news, and social networking has earned it a place among the top grossing apps on iTunes. ‘Vining’ has even found respect in digital arts, as a Vine category at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival awarded winners in various genres of film.
The creators of Vine, however, still have some work to do, according to most reviews. Vine lacks some of the major privacy settings available on other apps. It does maintain that its users must be over the age of 13 and must respond to requests from followers. Videos posted are considered public content.
In addition, Android mobile app consumers have expressed frustration with Vine developers because they have yet to make Vine available on devices other than the iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad. Some users wish that they could manage the time-limit settings because 6 second videos can be so difficult to plan. A Vine video “is not something planned. It’s just kind of spur of the moment,” sophomore Vine-user, Mia Broderick said of her own videos.
Moreover, reports and reviews from the iTunes app store say that the app could use some finishing, especially in editing video content. The app still does not grant access to link pre-recorded videos to the Vine feed. However, recent progress—like the front camera feature now available on the app—keeps critics’ views on the future of Vine hopeful. While still emerging in the latest craze of the app world, Vine looks as though it’s here to stay.