Twitter to close down Vine

Twitter has announced it will close down the video sharing app Vine. This follows an announcement by the social media company that it will be cutting 9% of its workforce following the company’s decreasing growth.

Vine was launched in 2013, allowing users to post six-second looping videos, but since Instagram launched video content and Snapchat’s arrival, it has no longer had the same prominence.

In a Medium post, Vine said that there will be no immediate effect on the apps, website or Vine videos, but the app will be discontinued in the coming months. The website will remain online for now, so users can continue to watch existing content, but will no longer be able to add new videos.

“Since 2013, millions of people have turned to Vine to laugh at loops and see creativity unfold,” Vine says. “Thank you. To all the creators out there  – thank you for taking a chance on this app back in the day. To the many team members over the years who made this what it was  –  thank you for your contributions. And of course, thank you to all of those who came to watch and laugh every day.

“What’s next? We’ll be working closely with creators to make sure your questions are answered and will work hard to do this the right way.”