By MARIA VELASQUEZ – Viewpoints Writer
Vine, an app created by Twitter, allows the user to capture six second video clips to share. Though the concept of the app was received well, thinking that it could possibly contribute to fields such as journalism, the app has more problems rather than potential.
The app released on Jan. 24 quickly gained popularity. The intention of the app is for users to be as comedic or creative as they want, or used by major news broadcasting companies to inform the public on major issues.
Vine is currently only available for iOS devices and has not been set up for an Android release anytime soon. To access the app the user must use or create a Twitter account. Basically it is an extension of Twitter by sharing videos with captions rather than a picture instantaneously.
Though Vine was received with excitement within a couple of weeks of its release it began experiencing issues with users posting pornographic related clips. With the ability to use the hashtags such as #nude and #porn, it is relatively easy to come across, especially when the clips are posted on the Editor’s Pick page.
As a way of fixing this problem, Twitter implemented an age restriction. Though that doesn’t exactly get rid of the problem. When a user wants to download the app from the app store, Vine is displayed as having 12+ rating. After pressing the install button, a message asking whether they are 17 or older appears.
Twitter has announced that this is the best possible way to deal with the problem of nude video clips, but they can still be found easily while searching. It isn’t like the picture sharing app, Instagram, where any pictures displaying any adult content is blocked and nearly impossible to find.
Vine has problems, but it has become a way for social interaction and media coverage. News casting stations are able to cover more events in a way that is easy for many. Although there is still the issue that Vine’s terms of service didn’t prohibit explicit images or nudity, and it still isn’t prohibited, so it seems like the adult content problem is something that isn’t going to go away anytime soon.
