After shuttering social media platform Vine in 2017, Twitter cofounder and former CEO Jack Dorsey appears to have some remorse.

Earlier this month saw a revival of the short-form video app, which limits content to a tight six seconds, backed by the Dorsey-funded nonprofit And Other Stuff. DiVine, which is currently in beta testing, will contain 100,000 clips from the original Vine, host creators’ new short-form content, and ban AI.

“There has been demand to bring back Vine for nearly a decade,” said Jennifer Quigley-Jones, CEO of Digital Voices. “Of all social platforms, it has inspired some of the deepest user obsession and nostalgia.”

For many, Vine represents a simpler, wholesome era of the internet before influencer marketing became a mass industry, one that will reach $50 billion in 2026, Quartermast Advisors reports, raising the question of whether the model fits today’s social landscape.

AI palate cleanser

As social platforms embrace AI and AI-rooted platforms like Sora emerge, diVine positions itself as a break from what many see as “slop.”

Consumer interest in AI on social platforms is waning.

• 60% of US and UK consumers preferred genAI creator content to traditional content in 2023, and that number has dropped to 26% this year, according to a Billion Dollar Boy survey.
• YouTube demonetized AI content in July, dissuading users from posting it without outright banning it.

“There is immense value in building human connection and genuine community over algorithmic mimicry,” said Quigley-Jones. “I predict human-produced content will become the next B Corp-level badge of social value.”

While diVine could solve the “sea of sameness on steroids” that consumers are dodging, it can’t thrive on AI outcry alone, said Katy Tenerovich, senior director of social at Ogilvy.

“The test will be creator adoption,” she said. “Without creator buy-in, any new social app is just going to be an empty stage.”

Decentralizing content control

DiVine, built on a decentralized protocol called Nostr, will be “owned by no one, controlled by everyone,” according to its homepage.

“You own your content,” the site’s FAQ promises. “No single company controls the platform or can delete your content…No algorithms: You choose what you see, or pick from community-created algorithms.”

Experts say Dorsey’s investment in decentralized social media could change what it means to be a creator.

“I’m very intrigued that nobody is talking about the direction of decentralized technology used to support creators on social platforms,” said Tameka Bazile, associate director of B2B social and content marketing at Business Insider. “Jack Dorsey is pushing this as an opportunity for the creator to now own their content, which I think will be a big pull.”

As social platform fluctuations and uncertainty heavily impact creators, the ownership aspect could be a valuable sales pitch.

• 78% of creators say ‘the algorithm’ impacts what they create, and a majority of creators say their incomes on each platform are unpredictable, according to a February Patreon report.

“There’s a yearning for [transparency], and the reboot of Vine will scratch that itch,” said Mike McGarry, SVP of marketing at Patreon. “Whether it will be a durable format, I think time will tell with that one.”

While decentralization benefits creators, it’s unclear how diVine’s algorithm will perform, if creators can adapt to short content, and how marketers will respond to a decentralized space, said Bazile.

“Fear and discomfort made that the perfect recipe for the announcement of this nature,” said Bazile. “Whether that will be enough is yet to be seen.”

Making room for another platform

Brands have recognized Gen Z and millennials’ love for nostalgia. Some 62% reported recently feeling ‘somewhat’ nostalgic, including 20% who’ve felt ‘extremely’ nostalgic, according to an August CivicScience survey.

While nostalgia among younger generations is strong, relying on that feeling alone isn’t a sustainable model, said Bazile.

Six-second videos made sense when consumers expected entertainment and escapism from social media, but microclips may not suit categories like politics that consumers expect, said Bazile.

• Twice as many consumers see more short-form than long-form work on social media, but most (52%) value long-form content more, according to a February Patreon report.

“Especially for those who are in social as a profession, we are going to struggle to see the value in yet another short-form video app,” she said. “Consumers will also feel overwhelmed going from video apps such as Reels and TikTok to even shorter [content] through diVine.”

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