When the video-sharing app Vine was released in January, the app had the edge on mobile video sharing with its simple interface though its videos were limited to six seconds. However, months later, the already popular photo-sharing app Instagram added a video component to its service. Despite the initial fear that Instagram video would run Vine out of business, many Vine users have remained loyal to their platform.
Avid Vine user Katie Johnson, a senior majoring in graphic design, said Instagram video is typically used to document personal events, while Vine is often used to create entertainment-oriented content.
“My favorite thing about Vine is the creative aspect of the videos,” she said. “I think a lot of Vine users use Vine as a six-second narrative, not just a way of documenting events.”
Ben Pockstaller, a senior majoring in history, also said Instagram video is used more for personal documentation than narratives but said that is why he prefers Instagram to Vine.
“Instagram is more kind of a personal thing,” Pockstaller said. “On Instagram, instead of just taking a picture of a coffee, you can video yourself drinking it, and Vine – it’s just like people dancing around and throwing plungers at each other and crazy stuff.”
While Pockstaller said he enjoys Vine, he also said he found some of the content over the top and off-putting.
“I feel like Instagram is more artistic, whereas Vine, while there are artistic people on Vine, I felt it was more just people doing funny things,” he said. “That’s fun in its own way, but it was kind of loud and I feel Instagram is more tame.”
Taelor Lather, a junior majoring in advertising, like Pockstaller, said she prefers Instagram but has both of the apps.
“I generally use Instagram to show funny things I or someone I’m with is doing,” Lather said. “I also love to post cool events I’m at, or pretty places I’m going to.”
Lather said she thinks the difference in the way people use Vine and Instagram is because of their associations. Before the video feature was introduced, Instagram was already used by many for personal documentation. On the other hand, Vine’s YouTube integration amps up the entertainment feel of the app.
“I think [the difference in usage] is because we associate Vine with YouTube but much shorter videos,” she said.
The video-making process differs with the two apps as well. On Vine, users simply hold down a finger on their phone’s screen to begin recording and remove it to stop; however, Instagram video offers more features to allow users increased creative options and fewer limitations.
Instagram video offers 13 filters that users can apply to add more style to their videos. Users also have the option to delete takes of their video without deleting the entire video. Vine users, on the other hand, have to start their entire video over if they want to redo a take.
Despite Instagram’s greater number of features, Johnson prefers the simplicity of Vine because she says the constraints push users to be more creative.
“I personally prefer Vine over Instagram because I think filters are a crutch that people sometimes use when they do not make the effort to create visually appealing videos,” she said.
Vine and Instagram may appeal to different users for different reasons, but Pockstaller said that really the choice depends on the user.
“I think [creativity] really depends on the person using [the app],” Pockstaller said. “I think Instagram has more potential for creativity because the video is longer and it does have filters, but the people who make dumb videos on Vine can make dumb videos on Instagram, it’s just longer.”
