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Vine is back? Divine app revives six-second videos, bans AI content
Vine is making a comeback through Divine, a new six-second video app backed by Jack Dorsey that bans AI content and brings back old Vine videos.
Vine, the popular six-second video app, is making a comeback — but not exactly as Vine. A new app called Divine is trying to bring back the short, looping videos and the creative spirit that made Vine popular. Vine was shut down by Twitter in 2017. The app had become famous for its six-second looping videos, but it struggled to build a strong business model and compete with bigger social media platforms.
Divine app brings Vine back
Divine is trying to bring back that older style of internet. The app has a scrolling feed of six-second videos and focuses on short, creative content made by people. Divine officially launched last week. The app spent about nine months in development and beta testing before its public launch, according to CNN.
Divine already has a huge archive of old Vine content. Users can access more than 2 million original Vine posts through the app. Divine is not officially connected to Vine. Vine was owned by Twitter, which is now known as X, while Divine is a separate app inspired by the original platform.
One of Divine’s biggest differences is its policy on AI content. The app says it will not allow users to post AI-generated content. Divine founder Rabble said the goal is to protect human creativity. “I want to see things that are creative and are human and that are weird,” Rabble told CNN, adding that AI can produce a kind of “mediocrity.”
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Jack Dorsey backs Divine
Rabble has a connection to Twitter’s early days. He was an early Twitter employee and later created Divine with financial backing from Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. The new app has already attracted around 100,000 users. Rabble told CNN that Divine has reached about that number since its launch. Some users are using Divine to bring back 2010s internet culture. Videos inspired by old memes have already started appearing on the platform.
Why Vine shut down
Instagram was one of the major competitors. As Instagram introduced short-form video features, Vine found it increasingly difficult to compete. Twitter announced plans to shut Vine down in 2016. The company was already struggling financially and had difficulty finding a sustainable business model for the video platform.
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Divine algorithm
The app explains how its “For You” algorithm works. Divine gives users more information about how videos are selected for their feeds. Users can also choose different types of feeds. They can select feeds based on different algorithms, including feeds focused on animals, style or the most popular videos. Divine is also trying to stop AI-generated videos from entering the platform. Its creators say they are using several detection methods to identify and prevent AI-generated content.
The move comes as other platforms face complaints about AI content. Pinterest and LinkedIn have also taken steps to respond to users who say their feeds contain too much AI-generated material. Divine is also built differently from traditional social media platforms.
It uses decentralized digital infrastructure, similar to platforms such as Mastodon and Bluesky. Decentralization gives users more freedom to move their online identity. Users can move their content and profiles to other decentralized platforms instead of being completely locked into one company.
Rabble argued that removing human control over social media rules and norms has helped create a toxic online culture. For now, Divine is trying to answer one big question: Can the old internet come back? By bringing back six-second videos, old Vine content, human-made creativity and more user control, the app is betting that many people are ready for a different kind of social media.
