6 effects of the Vine app scandal

Vine was suffering technical difficulties today after updating to version 1.0.4.

Twitter’s new app has made quite an impact in its six days in the Apple App Store. Initially, Vine was praised as a moving version of Instagram. Users quickly realized that the six-second video app was the perfect place to put pornographic films.

A look at the Vine app fallout since: 

1. A fall from the featured list

Apple was quick to pull the app from its list of featured apps but has so far allowed Vine to remain available for download. The controversy surrounding the app prompted both technology and mainstream news outlets to report on the Vine’s obscene contents. 

2. A rise in App Store positioning

Tim Bradshaw, tech reporter for the Financial Times, made the observation on his Twitter account that “Vine's position in U.S. App Store this morning, with Apple promo but pre-#porn: #7. Position 7 hours later, post-#porn, sans Apple support: #4”

3. Censorship starts

Vine has launched broad censorship of videos labeled with such not-so-subtle hashtags as #porn, #nude and #sex. Inappropriate videos that are not immediately removed because of hashtags will still be subject to the two-tier review system that Twitter uses for offensive content.

4. Facebook adds video to its app

Not to be left out of the video trend, Facebook updated its app to include video recording and sharing. (Though we can be sure that Facebook will carefully watch any controversial content.)

5. Vine branches out

VineRoulette displays collections of Vine videos online. Don’t worry. This isn’t like the creepy Chatroulette of 2009. VineRoulette shows multiple videos in a grid. The site, which requires a download of Microsoft Silverlight, is an overwhelming and fascinating way to look at your favorite hashtags.

6. Update causes app issues

Vine officially updated its app today to version 1.0.4 for “bug fixes and crash fixes.” Since I downloaded the latest version, Vine is having a service interuption and will not allow for any searches or basic functionality.