No millennial/generation Z kid will ever forget January 17th, 2017. No, there was no celebrity death that shocked the world, but we were all certainly mourning a loss. No newsworthy headline made "FOX" or "CNN," but it was all we could talk about. If there was nothing truly tragic that happened, then why is this date so important to us?
Well, to put it in, short, January 17th, 2017 was the day that we lost "Vine."
"Vine," an app that Twitter created allowed users to post short, 6-second videos. While it paved the way for some of the most popular memes of our generation, Vine was shut down due to its inability to compete with other social media sites. It has since been reported that a newer version of the app will soon be in app stores, cleverly called V2, but it's been over a year since we lost the original and we're all getting pretty anxious. In the absence of new Vine content, Twitter and Youtube users have resorted to making vine compilations as a tribute to all of the comedy that we lost. In order to keep the memory of vine alive, I've decided to join all those users and make a vine compilation myself, but with a twist.
Here are 10 vines that helped shape the people we are today, and why we wouldn't be the same without them:
1. "Road work ahead? Uhh, yeah, I sure hope it does!"
This vine, posted by user Drew Gooden, is quite possibly one of the most quoted vines to date. This vine quote can not only be seen in various Instagram/Twitter bios but is also spoken every single time a construction sign is seen. Every. Single. Time. It doesn't matter whether the orange sign actually says "road work ahead," just as long as the sign is orange and alludes to construction.
The impact: What would we have to keep us focused on the road without this vine? Nothing, we would have nothing.
2. "Oh my god they were roommates"
This vine, posted by user Matt Sukkar, is seen on various Instagram captions of college girls and their roommates. The reason this vine is so cherished is because of the simplicity of it. A girl walks past, gossiping on her phone, and Sukkar captures a fragment of her angry rant: "And they were roommates!" Sukkar then turns the camera on himself and says in a monotone voice: "oh my god they were roommates." Sukkar represents everyone who has ever eavesdropped on a conversation ever. We don't actually know the context of the situation, but we're still invested in the story. Who were roommates? We'll never know. But are we here for that? No. What matters is that we were in on the conversation.
The impact: This vine allowed us to eavesdrop without feeling too bad about ourselves because apparently everyone does it.
3. "What the Fuck is up Kyle?!"
Nick Colletti had a fight with Kyle and it went viral in this vine, where he dramatizes confronting the unknown Kyle. This vine is a representation of white boys everywhere-- they think they're hot shit when they step up to the plate, but at the end of the day they just embarrass themselves.
The impact: Kyles everywhere now know what the fuck is up, because nobody will ever stop shouting this vine at them.
4. "Daaaaaamn, Daniel. Back at it again with the white vans!"
This vine went viral, even landing "Daniel" an interview with Ellen and a lifetime supply of vans, which he actually donated to a children's hospital. This vine is proof that the platform Vine isn't just for funny videos. This vine actually changed the lives of children, which is a pretty big accomplishment for just a six-second video.
The impact: Not only did white Vans become the new #1 source of footwear for teens, but a lifetime supply of shoes was donated to children in need.
5. "Hi, welcome to Chili's"
This vine represents the odd side of the app. There were definitely some interesting vines that didn't make too much sense, but still gained popularity. Vine user Evan Breen was known for his odd posts, making videos that didn't make too much sense, yet still made everyone laugh because of how out-there they were. Adam Perkins posted the iconic "Welcome to Chili's" vine, depicting him in his underwear, staring at a mirror and stating -- you guessed it -- "Welcome to Chili's" in a high-pitched voice. No one really knows how this vine came to be, or the point of it, but it's definitely well-known.
The impact: I can only imagine that Chili's became a much more popular restaurant among teenagers.
6. "FR E SH A VOCA D O"
Vine user Gasoleen posted a shaky video of a Del Taco sign advertising "fresh avocado," but with the letters oddly spaced out. Gasoleen decided to try and sound out the letters as they were placed, and ended up shouting something along the lines of "fre sha vaca do!" Soon after posting, this vine positively blew up. Our generation apparently thinks that shouting out gibberish is the epitome of humor, but I'd have to agree.
The impact: I'm a firm believer that this vine fueled the avocado craze of the mid-2010s. Everyone wanted to get their hands on some
7. "I said whoever threw that paper, ya mom's a hoe!"
This vine, posted by Vine user "Meagan", got popular due to the sheer irony of it. We see what could only be a substitute teacher in the middle of a frenzy of students. The old man gets questioned by a student off-camera, asking him to repeat what he said. Without hesitation, the old man shouts "I said whoever threw that paper, ya mom's a hoe!" Not only is it every high schooler's dream to hear a teacher curse, but this one seems especially important because of who's saying it. A seemingly harmless old man calling your mom a hoe? Unheard of.
The impact: the insult "ya mom's a hoe" grew in popularity once this vine came out, as well as the expectancy for teachers to curse in front of their students.
8. "I luh you bitch"
You may have seen this vine quoted last week in various valentine's day captions, because it's quite possibly the greatest love song of our generation. We see a man holding a guitar and serenading what can only be assumed is his girlfriend. He strums the out-of-tune guitar and sings "I love you, bitch." He then strums the guitar once more, and in the same voice, continues with "I ain't never gonna stop lovin you, biiiitch." People would've easily paid for a professional recording.
The impact: It was a bit easier for boyfriends to please their hopeless-romantic SO's with this Vine, because quoting vines is considered an act of love/friendship to our generation. If you know all your vine references, you're probably considered a cool person. I know if a boy came up to me and serenaded me with this vine-quote, I'd be sold.
9. "It's a avocado! Thanks!"
Yes, another vine about avocados. An oldie but a goodie, no doubt. A little boy is opening his Christmas presents, and unwraps a single avocado. It can only be assumed that whoever was recording was expecting a tantrum from the little boy, but we all got quite the opposite. The boy's face lights up in glee, and he happily says, "It's a avocado!! Thaaaanks!"
The impact: Personally, this vine reminded me to enjoy the little things in life. If a boy can open a Christmas present to find a single avocado and still experience so much happiness, we can all appreciate the little things we forget to cherish. (Not to mention that this also fueled the avocado movement of the mid-2010s. I promise you this.)
10. "Mother trucker dude, that hurt like a buttcheek on a stick!"
Last (but certainly not least), this widely known vine was one of the few that didn't actually have any profanity in it... technically. A kid who looks to be a pre-teen wants the world to know that whatever just happened to him hurt really, really bad. It can be assumed that he'd get into a fair amount of trouble if he were to actually use cuss words, so instead, he opts for: "that hurt like a buttcheek on a stick". An unheard of phrase that nobody could help but laugh at.
The impact: the phrase "buttcheek on a stick" soon found it's way into every teenager's vocabulary. Certainly better than cursing, I'd say.
Whether you were a vine user from the beginning or had never heard of the app until January 18th, 2017, there is no doubt of the impact it had on our generation. V2 will certainly shake the world upon its release, but for now, we'll have to settle for rewatching the classic, iconic vines we all know and love. Not that I'm complaining. I know I speak for most of my generation when I say, I will forever be thankful for Vine.
