Fact Check: "Vine, a short-form video service, closed in 2017."
What We Know
Vine was a short-form video hosting service that allowed users to share looping video clips of up to six seconds. It was founded in June 2012 and was acquired by Twitter just four months later for $30 million. The service launched its iOS app on January 24, 2013, followed by Android and Windows versions. By December 2015, Vine had amassed over 200 million active users (Wikipedia).
On October 27, 2016, Twitter announced that it would disable uploads to Vine, although users could still view and download existing videos (NPR). The app was officially shut down on January 17, 2017, and the service was discontinued a few months later, with an archive of all Vine videos launched on January 20, 2017. This archive was eventually discontinued in April 2019 (Wikipedia).
Analysis
The claim that Vine closed in 2017 is supported by multiple credible sources. The timeline of events is clear: after announcing the discontinuation of uploads in late 2016, Twitter officially shut down the Vine app in January 2017. This sequence of events is corroborated by reputable outlets such as NPR and NBC News, which confirm the closure date and the reasons behind it, including competition from other platforms and a decline in user engagement (NPR, NBC News).
Furthermore, the Wikipedia entry on Vine provides a detailed history of the service, including its launch, peak user engagement, and eventual shutdown, making it a reliable source for this information (Wikipedia).
While there are many opinions and analyses regarding the reasons for Vine's decline, the factual timeline of its closure remains consistent across sources. The closure was primarily attributed to the rise of competing platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, which began to offer similar short-form video features (Wikipedia, Failory).
Conclusion
Verdict: True
The claim that Vine, a short-form video service, closed in 2017 is accurate. The evidence from multiple reliable sources confirms that Vine ceased operations on January 17, 2017, following an announcement in late 2016 about disabling uploads. The timeline and details surrounding its closure are well-documented and corroborated by reputable news outlets and historical records.
