On Oct. 27, Vine announced that it was shutting down via a post on Medium. They didn’t explain exactly why, but tech experts at the New York Times suspect two theories: Instagram video killed it and it wasn’t making enough money for Twitter (which bought Vine in 2012 for a rumored $30 million) to keep it running.
Tons of tweens got famous making those stupid six-second loop videos. They were usually complete nonsense, but that’s part of what made them hilarious. This is one of my favorites:
And TONS of South Floridians got Vine famous on the app. Here are a few of our favorites.
Lele Pons is probably the most famous local Vine-star for her hilarious self-depreciating humor.
Andrew Bachelor, “King Bach,” was technically born in Canada, but he moved to West Palm Beach with his fam when he was two years old.
Marcus Johns was born in Miami. His Vine launched him into an acting career.
Jessica Vazquez, “Jessi Smiles,” is known for having silly convos with herself. Like all good Cuban-Americans, she draws tons of inspiration from her mom.
Miamian Lauren Giraldo started making waves on Vine when she was just 16 years old.
Gabriel Conte was born in Miami and has become one of the site’s biggest stars.
If you’re loving these, don’t worry — the site won’t shut down for another few months. Vine announced that they’re keeping it up so everyone can download their videos and save them before it’s completely taken off the internets.