The newly launched platform brings back Vine’s six-second looping format, more than two million archived clips and a decentralised approach, while rejecting AI-generated posts in favour of human-made content and creative expression.
The short-form video culture associated with Vine is getting another lease of life through Divine, a newly launched social media platform seeking to recreate the simplicity and creativity of the early 2010s internet.
Rather than introducing longer videos or increasingly sophisticated recommendation systems, Divine is built around six-second looping clips. The platform officially launched last week after roughly nine months of development and beta testing, according to reports.
Divine is not a revival of the original Vine service and has no formal connection to the platform. Vine was acquired by Twitter, which later became X, and was discontinued in 2017. Divine has instead been created as a separate service inspired by Vine’s format and culture.
The new platform already offers access to more than two million original Vine posts, giving users an extensive archive of the content that helped establish the short-loop video format. Since its public launch, Divine has reportedly attracted about 100,000 users.
Platform puts human-made content at the centre
One of Divine’s defining policies is its decision to prohibit AI-generated content. Founder Rabble says the platform is intended to promote material that reflects human creativity rather than algorithmically generated videos.
The company is using multiple detection techniques to identify and restrict AI-generated posts. The policy comes amid growing criticism across social platforms over feeds becoming increasingly saturated with AI-created material.
Divine also aims to offer users greater visibility into how content reaches their feeds. Instead of relying entirely on an opaque recommendation system, the platform explains its approach to content selection and allows users to switch between different feeds. These can be organised around themes such as animals, style or popular videos, giving users more control over what they see.
Rabble has a connection to Twitter’s early history, having worked at the company during its formative years. The Divine founder has also received financial backing from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.
The platform’s emphasis on human creativity reflects Rabble’s broader criticism of the direction social media has taken. He argues that excessive automation and the removal of human influence from online communities have contributed to a less authentic and more toxic internet environment.
Decentralised model offers greater user control
Divine is also taking a different approach to the underlying architecture of social media. The platform uses decentralised digital infrastructure, a model also associated with services such as Mastodon and Bluesky.
Decentralisation can allow users to retain greater control over their digital identity and potentially move profiles and content between compatible services rather than remaining completely dependent on a single platform.
The approach comes as established social networks grapple with changing user expectations around algorithms, AI-generated content and control over online identities.
For Divine, however, the central proposition remains relatively straightforward: recreate the appeal of short, human-made videos without reproducing all the characteristics of today’s mainstream social media platforms.
With its six-second format, extensive Vine archive, AI restrictions and decentralised infrastructure, the platform is betting that users nostalgic for the earlier internet — as well as those seeking an alternative to AI-heavy social feeds — will embrace its interpretation of the Vine-era experience.
See What’s Next in Tech With the Fast Forward Newsletter
Tweets From @varindiamag
Nothing to see here - yet
When they Tweet, their Tweets will show up here.
