This story was originally published on Passionfruit.
Vine, the short-form video app that launched 9 years ago this week, has now been dead longer than it was alive. There has been a lot said about why Vine died, but what about how its content lives on? Vines have been memorialized in internet culture through YouTube compilations, TikTok trends, and its numerous creators—ensuring that, while Vine is long gone, its legacy persists.
Despite the platform’s brief life, iconic vines have stayed culturally relevant for years. We continually go back to them as a sort of comfort watch and reference them as inside jokes. At the beginning of the pandemic, compilations of “vines for quarantine times” garnered millions of views, bringing joy during a time when it was so desperately needed. Even on TikTok, former viners and videos with “Vine energy” are popular, indicating a lasting love for the defunct website. Vines harken back to a simpler time online, before the creator economy really boomed and people had to creatively work around minimalist platforms.
