Podcast
Vine: Six Seconds That Changed The World
Hosted by Global · EN
This is the story of the social media app that changed the face of the internet before it crashed and burned in just three short years. Vine was the future - until it wasn’t. How did a platform so popular and beloved just disappear? Like any self-respecting chronically-online person, Benedict Townsend needed answers. In this 8-part series he tracks down Vine’s founders, social media power players and some of the most famous Vine creators to find out what really happened. What he found? A bizarre story of genius, chaos, and betrayal—and the blueprint for everything that came next. If you want to understand TikTok, or the modern internet itself, you need to understand Vine.
Contact us: vinepod@global.com
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Did We Bring Back Vine?
Jan 1600:34:01Summary readyVine is coming back, and we might have helped resurrect it. First, Elon Musk announced plans to revive Vine in “AI form”. A few months later, news broke that Twitter founder Jack Dorsey was backing another revival called diVine. The key difference? diVine runs on an open-source, decentralised server that blocks all AI content.So why are two of the wealthiest men in the world - and two of the most influential figures in tech - so keen to revive a defunct app? And could our humble hosts, Benedict and Mary, be the unlikely muse?diVine's creator, and Dorsey’s former boss, Evan Henshaw-Plath, hands the team early access to the app’s highly coveted beta. In a wild interview on the hacker code that built social media, why he chose Vine, how he beat Musk to launch and his hail Mary attempt to fix what platforms broke. Listen to this special episode about a very unlikely chain reaction between Twitter’s very first employee, a podcast and the resurrection of the internet’s favourite app.
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Introducing: Coining It
Sep 3000:02:02Summary readyIf you enjoyed Vine: 6 Seconds that Changed the World, we think you'll love Coining It - your next podcast fix. It's the wild story of broke, restless man, stuck in a life going nowhere - until he discovers a glitch in a Bitcoin trading platform that begins pouring millions into his account. How far would you go if the money felt endless? And what would it cost when it finally ran out?Lewis Goodall explains more about the true story of a man who found a crack in the system and pulled his whole world through it.All episodes available now on Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for 'Coining It'.
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8. Famous
May 6, 202500:29:52Summary readyDo you believe in life after Vine? On October 28, 2016, the app took its last breath. It left behind a bittersweet legacy that would shape the internet for years to come. In this episode, we unravel the truth behind the app’s demise: the million-dollar demands, the missed opportunities (lip-syncing, anyone?), and the seismic impact it had on creators and culture. With firsthand accounts from insiders and creators, we explore whether Vine’s early exit preserved its charm or whether it was always destined to fall.Credits:Benedict Townsend - Host & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes – MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive acknowledgments:CBS News/CNET/’It’s official: Twitter Shut Down Vine’Bluezone Corporation/’Cinematic Session – Industrial Samples & Impacts’Artwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan
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7. The Battle of Vine Street
May 6, 202500:41:34Summary readyIn a high stakes meeting with Vine’s top creators, a one-million-dollar demand threatens to upend the platform. What started as a push for collaboration spirals into chaos, with creators leveraging their power and Vine’s leadership scrambling to respond. Was this bold move the cause of Vine’s demise, or just one piece of a much larger story? Credits:Benedict Townsend - Host & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddell - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive acknowledgements:Marcus Johns/ Co VinesMarcus Johns/ InstagramInside Edition/ ‘20-Year-Old Disney Channel Star Terrorizing Neighbors With YouTube Stunts’Logan Paul/YouTube/’Viners React to Vine Shutting Down!’CBS News/CNET/’It’s official: Twitter Shut Down Vine’Artwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan
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6. VIVs (Very Important Viners)
Apr 29, 202500:36:53Summary readyVine is on the edge of collapse - creators are in open revolt, Instagram is circling, as Twitter turns a blind eye. With the sacred 6-second limit on the chopping block and creator trust hanging by a thread, time is running out. Enter Karyn, Vine’s newly hired Head of Creators – an outsider with a bold vision to save the app. Her strategy? A full-scale reinvention. But at a glittering Hollywood party packed with Vine’s biggest stars, it becomes clear: this rescue mission won’t be easy. The fate of Vine is teetering on the edge – and not everyone wants it saved. Credits:Benedict Townsend - Host & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes – MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan
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5. Do It For The Vine
Apr 29, 202500:40:14Summary readyAs tensions rise, battle lines are drawn. Creators want money. Leadership want control. Founders turn their back on their biggest stars. And Twitter watches from the sidelines as its $30 million acquisition flounders. Behind the scenes - Benedict and Mary chase down the one person who might know who really pulled the trigger.Credits:Benedict Townsend - Host & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive acknowledgements:GOFRESH/YouTube/’Jerome jarre and nash grier (mobbed iceland)’NBC News/ Today/’In wake of layoffs, is Twitter in trouble?’HQ Trivia Theme/Intermedia LabsArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan
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4. Not Demure
Apr 29, 202500:43:49Summary readyAs Vine’s influence grew, the seeds of its destruction were being sown. Brands wanted in and things were getting competitive. While most creators experimented and responded organically to engagement, opportunistic newcomers saw Vine as something else: a system to game and they were willing to play dirty to win. Creators soon found themselves falling victim to rampant plagiarism — the digital world’s new 'Grand Theft Auto.'Credits:Benedict Townsend - Host & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive Acknowledgments:Tim & Dee TV/Haliey WelchABC News/‘Meet the Vine Stars Who Turn 6 Seconds of Fame into Big Bucks’Jools LebronBrandon MooreKayla NewmanMarvel Studios/’Black Panther’/Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesValo/’I'm Semi I Stay Automatic’Nicholas Fraser/’Why You Always Lying?’GOFRESH/YouTube/’Jerome jarre and nash grier (mobbed iceland)’NBC News/The Today Show/’In wake of layoffs, is Twitter in trouble?’Artwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan
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3. Subway to Stardom
Apr 22, 202500:32:44Summary readyVine is quickly becoming one of the world’s most downloaded apps, carving out a unique online identity. In this episode, some of Vine’s earliest creators share how luck, form, and strategy determined viral success and how they navigated the uncharted waters of online fame.Credits:Benedict Townsend - Host & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan
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2. Vine Street Confidential
Apr 22, 202500:31:59Summary readyThe term “influencer” has entered the mainstream, in large part due to the frat house ecosystem of Viners established by brothers Logan and Jake Paul. In this episode, Benedict and Mary search for one of Vine’s elusive founders, whose idea to simplify mobile video editing transformed modern internet culture. We want to trace Vine back to its very inception, understand who funded it, forged it in fire, and what happened the day Twitter came knocking.Credits:Benedict Townsend - Host & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive acknowledgements:ABC News/‘Meet the Vine Stars Who Turn 6 Seconds of Fame into Big Bucks’PacificRimVideoPress/’Vine Famous Jake Paul Interview about Getting Girls, High School, Fave Shoes & More!’HLN/’Logan Paul: How to be Vine-famous in 6 seconds’/CNN Worldwide60 Minutes Overtime/’Social media influencer Logan Paul talks to "60 Minutes”’/CBS NewsSquawk Alley/’Jake Paul Talks Transitioning From Vine Star To Disney Star’/CNBCNetflix Sports/’Jake Paul Wins | Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson’/NetflixArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan
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1. Who Killed Vine?
Apr 22, 202500:06:05Summary readyLaunched in 2013 after an early buyout by Twitter, Vine quickly grew into one of the fastest growing platforms on the internet. The app created an entirely new category of online content: short, user-generated videos. It became the home of online creativity, birthed beloved memes and viral trends, and introduced a whole new generation of celebrity: the influencer. So, how did an app that was ten steps ahead die only three years after launch?Credits:Benedict Townsend - Host & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive acknowledgments:CBS Sunday Morning/'From 2005: Four young internet entrepreneurs'/CBS NewsJawed Karim/‘Me at the zoo’/YouTubeChannel 4 News Theme/‘Best Endeavours’/Alan HawkshawChannel 4 News/’A year of Vine: the six second videos rivalling Twitter and Instagram’The Fox News Channel Theme/‘The Five’FOX 5/’CEO Chris Dessi Discusses Vine on Fox 5’/Brayden Shanks/The Fox News ChannelPacificRimVideoPress/’Vine Famous Jake Paul Interview about Getting Girls, High School, Fave Shoes & More!’Pop Trigger/’Breaking: Twitter Officially Shutting Down Vine’FOX 4 Now/’Twitter Kills Vine App’/The Fox News ChannelSky News/’TikTok to be banned in the US from Sunday, Supreme Court rules’BBC News/’Donald Trump’s inauguration set to take place’NBC News/’TikTok is back up again in the U.S. following a shutdown overnight’Mark Zuckerberg/’Mark Zuckerberg announces the end of Meta's fact-checking program in the United States’/FacebookArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan
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