Vine: Twitter’s New Video Sharing App

By Nick Crowe

Oftentimes, when using a video sharing app, we find ourselves disappointed as the video turns out to be of bad quality. It’s either too grainy, too noisy, or any one of the many other inconveniences. Ultimately, the video is not even worth watching. Luckily, Twitter has created a new video sharing app which allows users to create and share mini videos that are six seconds long and are set to loop automatically. Twitter introduced this app for the iPhone on Thursday and received nothing but positive feedback. The app is delightfully simple. Users just point their camera at whatever it is they wish to film, tap the screen to begin filming, and tap once more to stop. Users can also create a series of short clips by using the tap- to- edit feature.

Vine couldn't be easier to use and is already catching on as a result of its simplicity. But it may be too simple for some people. Many users will probably be frustrated that videos are limited to only six seconds, and the only way to make them longer is to string a series of six second videos together which is tedious and time consuming. However, for those who only need six seconds, this is the ideal video sharing app.

There is also one other drawback which users may find irritating regardless of how long they want their video to be. Videos can only be shared upon completion of the six seconds and can only be posted through the app itself or through Twitter. This means that a user who has both a Twitter and Facebook account would not be able to post their video to Facebook. It seems as though Twitter is trying to keep this app exclusive for their users only.

The six second limit on the video might be explained with Twitter’s text limit of 140 characters. Twitter seems to want people to rethink the way they communicate, with short, brief, explanations of what they are doing or want to share. Vine is an upgrade of a status update. Instead of using words to share something, you can use a short video. Along with Vine, a whole new wave of social media may come along with it, changing the way we communicate and share interesting anecdotes about our life. The next few months will be exciting to see as Twitter and social media is revolutionized.

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