Benedict Townsend

Karen was still convinced that if content creators were nurtured, and the kind of content people actually wanted to see was prioritized, that she could turn things around. And it would be a new era of Vine, both faithful to its original legacy, while also having the courage to stay relevant, perhaps even revolutionary.

Karen was still convinced that if content creators were nurtured, and the kind of content people actually wanted to see was prioritized, that she could turn things around. And it would be a new era of Vine, both faithful to its original legacy, while also having the courage to stay relevant, perhaps even revolutionary.

It would be an approach that embraced creators instead of shunning them and emphasized Vine first and foremost as a creative tool, as a way to get leverage over Instagram and Snapchat, which were much more focused on being social sites. It was much more about your friends, your family. Vine was all in on content creation.

It would be an approach that embraced creators instead of shunning them and emphasized Vine first and foremost as a creative tool, as a way to get leverage over Instagram and Snapchat, which were much more focused on being social sites. It was much more about your friends, your family. Vine was all in on content creation.

And in that sense, you can't help but think of TikTok, which very much took up that baton a few short years later. To this day, I wouldn't really say that TikTok is a social media site, or that it really pretends to be. It's first and foremost a place for creation and creators. That's what Vine needed to be if it had any hope of surviving. Everything was riding on the rescue plan.

And in that sense, you can't help but think of TikTok, which very much took up that baton a few short years later. To this day, I wouldn't really say that TikTok is a social media site, or that it really pretends to be. It's first and foremost a place for creation and creators. That's what Vine needed to be if it had any hope of surviving. Everything was riding on the rescue plan.

The party, an act of defiant positivity. A glittering Hollywood soiree, an olive branch disguised as champagne and canapes. Glasses of fizz, a hubbub of excited chatter, all the buzzing excitement of an LA industry party. The very same kind of industry intrigue that creators had been dying for.

The party, an act of defiant positivity. A glittering Hollywood soiree, an olive branch disguised as champagne and canapes. Glasses of fizz, a hubbub of excited chatter, all the buzzing excitement of an LA industry party. The very same kind of industry intrigue that creators had been dying for.

Symbolically, King Batch's party was a celebratory moment heralding a new era of harmony between Vine and its creators. A white flag, a treaty signed, a change of guard, the bugle call of a new dispensation.

Symbolically, King Batch's party was a celebratory moment heralding a new era of harmony between Vine and its creators. A white flag, a treaty signed, a change of guard, the bugle call of a new dispensation.

There it is. There it is. Oh boy. This is what we've been building to. The ominous invitation is to a meeting that'll take place just off Hollywood Boulevard at 1600 Vine, the heart of the influencer kingdom.

There it is. There it is. Oh boy. This is what we've been building to. The ominous invitation is to a meeting that'll take place just off Hollywood Boulevard at 1600 Vine, the heart of the influencer kingdom.

Next episode, a meeting and a million dollar demand.

Next episode, a meeting and a million dollar demand.

Could Vine's birthplace also become its burial ground? Would the very creators who built it be the ones to end it?

Could Vine's birthplace also become its burial ground? Would the very creators who built it be the ones to end it?

Bruised and battered, the little app that could was on its last legs. But blow after blow, it was still staggering forward. And against all odds, there were still those fighting for its survival. It wasn't over. Not yet. Stick around, because the real twist is still to come.

Bruised and battered, the little app that could was on its last legs. But blow after blow, it was still staggering forward. And against all odds, there were still those fighting for its survival. It wasn't over. Not yet. Stick around, because the real twist is still to come.

You can listen to the last two episodes of Vine's Six Seconds That Changed the World when they drop next Wednesday, May the 7th. You can listen to Vine's 6 Seconds That Changed the World on Global Player. Download it from the App Store or go to globalplayer.com.

You can listen to the last two episodes of Vine's Six Seconds That Changed the World when they drop next Wednesday, May the 7th. You can listen to Vine's 6 Seconds That Changed the World on Global Player. Download it from the App Store or go to globalplayer.com.