Twitter announced Thursday that it's shutting down Vine, meaning we'll no longer be able to enjoy new 6-second bits of genius like this, or this, or maybe even this. TechCrunch reports Twitter hasn't said exactly why it's ending the video platform it launched in 2013. But, as the Verge notes, the social media company is trying desperately to figure out some way to be profitable. It also announced it's laying off 9% of its staff this week. Vine was a hit upon launch, tallying more than 200 million active users at one point. Its most popular users have more than 11 million followers each, USA Today reports. But the site fell off with increasing competition from Instagram and Snapchat. Meanwhile, Twitter appears to be shifting its focus to live video, such as its recent broadcasts of Thursday Night Football.
Twitter says it's "going to do this the right way," leaving Vine up for the time being so users can download their videos. "We think it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made," the Verge quotes Twitter as saying in a statement. But the mobile app will be shut down "in the coming months." Twitter never really invested in Vine, and its three co-founders had already left, apparently unhappy with how their creation was being handled. "Don't sell your company!" one of the founders tweeted Thursday. In remembrance of the glory days of six-second videos now past, both Quartz and Deadspin are rounding up some of the best Vines for posterity. (More Vine stories.)
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uBlock 
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Ghostery 
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