YouTubers vs. Viners by Jane Scearce
NOTES: Origins and Context | See Also
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Origins of this content
Written for LFYT 2015 final by Jane Searce
Contextualization
Whatever their personal motivation, YouTubers have always been protective of the authenticity of their community. In 'Watching YouTube: Extraordinary Videos by Ordinary People,' Strangelove says, "YouTube is continually faced with individuals and corporations that try to 'game the system' by taking advantage of YouTube's technical design to attract more visitors." Though here Strangelove is referring to false preview images that trick viewers into clicking on videos in the hopes of seeing what the preview image displays, this sentiment can be applied to Viners and how YouTubers see them as "gaming the system" by transferring their Vine aesthetic over to YouTube.

The YouTube community has also shown resentment when celebrities have inserted themselves into YouTube. As Strangelove quotes one commenter on a YouTube video posted by Oprah Winfrey: 'Youtube is for people who ARENT on television. Give someone ELSE a chance.' In this quote, "on television" could easily be replaced with "on Vine" or "already video celebrities".

"TikTok vs YouTube is the newest war on the internet where content creators of each platform are roasting those of the other. The digital battle between these platforms has aroused a new sense of hatred on the internet at a time when policymakers are already deliberating on ways to make the virtual world more secure, reliable and accountable for consumers."

"Making a YouTube video does not require large investment but progressing towards making a YouTube channel with millions of subscribers involves having technical equipment and software that those somehow making ends meet may not be able to afford. Whereas on TikTok, just about anybody can download the app, record a video and upload it. YouTubers, who usually have the luxury of time and resources on their hand, are often accused of hurling casteist and classist slurs at TikTokers, comparing TikTok content creators to the so-called "lower" strata of the society." [cit].

"In the next evolution of the social-media-star boxing boom, a group of TikTokers are set to take on YouTubers in what's being advertised as a "Battle of the Platforms." "[cit].

In 2022, Vine no longer exists and this debate is rendered somewhat dead. The only way Vine lives on is in Vine compilations posted to Youtube. "Vine compilations gather the weird, the best, the forgotten, the treasured and, most importantly, capture the memory of why we loved Vine in the first place." [cit].

When I was younger, one of my favorite pastimes was watching Vines. Vine provided 6 second
comedy shorts, with so many becoming iconic today. Several big names on Youtube and other
social media platforms had their start on Vine. Personally, I don't see a reason to compare the two, as they function(ed) different. "In the time it takes you to record, edit, upload, title, tag and post a YouTube video, a Vine star has risen and fallen. And that's not even considering all the expensive equipment you'd need to stand a chance on YouTube. Let's be honest, Vine's 60-second, smartphone format makes it approx. 1000% more accessible to creators." [cit].
New technologies tend to receive media hype not only around the technologies themselves, but also around the previous technologies they appear to upend, as was the case with YouTube and Vine. However, recent conversations in the YouTube vs. Vine debate has shifted to content creators. Why?

After the realization that Vine wasn't killing off YouTube as a digital video platform, video content became the topic of debate. Interestingly, the debate has been largely between YouTubers and "Viners" themselves. YouTube, being the longform option of the two platforms, naturally lends itself to hosting videos about this debate from YouTubers' perspectives.

The perspective of YouTubers seems to be this: popular Viners, while legitimate within their own platform, are unfairly using their popularity on Vine to come into the YouTube community.

YouTubers typically argue that YouTube content frequently requires more hours and effort spent planning, executing, editing, and publishing than Vine content does. YouTubers feel that transferring followers from one video platform to another is disingenuous, intrusive, and disrespectful to content creators who have worked solely on YouTube. This suggests it might be perceptions of "hard work" and who deserves YouTube success, rather than an invasion of community, which YouTubers are most concerned with.

It should be noted that there are YouTubers who reject the "YouTubers vs. Viners" debate, claiming popular and vocal YouTubers who feel cheated by Viners have made the debate appear bigger than it is in reality.