Twitter has abruptly killed off its short video sharing service Vine.
The app, which enabled looping clips limited to six seconds to be uploaded and shared on social media, will be discontinued in the coming months.
The decision isn’t a surprise, given the initial creative use of the app had died down since its launch under Twitter’s stewardship in 2013.
In recent times the app had effectively become a means for people to quickly record clips from sporting events and illegally share them online.
Twitter says it is “doing this right” and is keeping the Vine app and website alive, enabling creators to download their Vines.
“We’ll be keeping the website online because we think it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made,” the company wrote in a blog post on Thursday evening.
Vine has been unable to compete with the likes of Snapchat and Instagram and Twitter has switched its focus to the Periscope live-streaming platform.
The decision will lead to Twitter culling 9% of its total workforce, during a time of great turmoil for the social network.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is believed to be looking for a suitable buyer for the company.
Despite rumoured interest from the likes of Google, Disney and Microsoft, none of the above appear to be biting.
