I’m in the CCA, a space famous for its performance art about race, gender and sexuality, amongst many others, and I sit with a pint in hand ready to celebrate the passing of a platform that saw many individuals thrive. The band starts with a sombre funeral march, the lead guitarists wipes tears from her eyes and everyone in the room collectively begins to mourn the loss of something we all held dear to us; Vine.
Vine was a social media platform that allowed its users to share 7-second videos about anything from their pets to the sunset; nothing was off limits so long as they stayed within the timeframe. It brought us many famous sayings such as “why the fuck you lying, why you always lying, mmm oh my god, stop fucking lying” and “oh my god they were roommates” but most importantly, it brought the Internet joy. However, since its death in 2016, we can now only watch compilations of these great videos on YouTube and remember what once was.
The night started with an introduction from members of Matchbox Cineclub, a film collective which put together the night, acting as people making a eulogy under the pretence that this was a funeral. I felt underdressed in my brightly coloured shirt, wishing instead I had worn black to fit in with the tone of the evening. We begin as a crowd, silently watching the first compilation of Vine’s lasting roughly 30 minutes. We collectively stir in our seats, laughing with those next to us until the bubble bursts. Playing is one of the most famous vines that has become a meme of itself and the crowd can’t help but quote along: “two bros chillin’ in a hot tub, 5 feet apart ‘cause they’re not gay”. Everyone laughs and I feel more immersed in the room as I realise that, yes, quoting along is fine and we’re all here for the same reason: to celebrate something we love.
To end what was an incredible evening, Joyce Delaney closed with a set of their music. Annoyingly, the sound-system levels seemed to be off with the bass guitar being the loudest in the set. I was a little disappointed as, from what I could hear, I thoroughly enjoyed their songs. Though they were meant to be funny I must admit I did want to give them a hug at the end and make sure they were okay. Their songs were about making bad decisions and regretting them, for example, buying a valentines day card for the guy you went on two tinder dates with.
Working on a sliding scale of payment, everyone was welcome as there was no set price and instead those attending could pay what they could afford. Overall, I had a great evening and I feel this was the perfect way to say goodbye to my favourite social media platform.
[Kelly Macarthur – @KellyMac96]
[Image credit: Vintuitive/flickr.com]
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