Byte.co
By now you've noticed substantial chatter about Byte, the inevitable successor to Vine. Created by Vine co-founder Dom Hoffman, Byte is similar in form and function, offering users the ability to upload six-second video clips.
Vine was extremely popular when it launched, but what do we have to show for it now? A few middling Vine stars trying desperately to hold onto their fifteen minutes, unable to fully transition to a career in traditional media. Sure, Twitter purchased it and shut it down because it didn't want to host all that video, but if it was successful enough on its own, then perhaps it would still be around.
It's likely we'll see a similar trajectory with Byte, just launched on iOS and Android. A ton of original content, most of it pointless and terrible with 0.01% of it actually entertaining enough to achieve virality and brand attention. It's that percent that Byte is using to draw its user base, learning from the mistakes of Vine.
In a tweet, Byte stated that "very soon, we'll introduce a pilot version of our partner program which we will use to pay creators. byte celebrates creativity and community, and compensating creators is one important way we can support both. stay tuned for more info."
This tease will surely draw creators to the platform. Because like our moms always tell us, we're special.
Meanwhile, TikTok creators are trying to find a way to monetize their virality. Pushing followers to YouTube or other social channels in order to find some path to monetization. This is closer to reality, a struggle to find some way to profit from your creative behavior. Byte is hoping that our general overwhelming, often egotistical sense of self will be enough to grow its user base. It will. For a while.
Byte doesn't have all the features of TikTok, like remixes, filters, transition effects and so on. It's simple, like Vine was. Make a video, loop a video, share a video. It's six-second, totally digestible and works quick to weed out the chaff. You have six seconds to impress. But do we need another video sharing app right now?
All the tech blogs are asking that question as they pile on the commentary about Byte, as we're doing here, but the answer varies. Some believe that no, with Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat alone there is no need for another video app. Some believe that sure, there is always room for a new whatever, perhaps changing the paradigm of social behavior at least for a little while.
I believe that we need another video sharing app — that is just version two-point-oh of one that already existed — like a kick in the face.
Sure, Byte is innovative in form in that it wants to immediately help its creators monetize their content, but just like most of the content on Medium, is a promised handful of pennies going to be enough to retain users?
Initially, yes. We all love rushing to the latest social platform to at least secure our user name. Then we use it for a bit, grow bored of it (if we don't achieve immediate fame) and settle back in with the standards (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat). There will always be something new (even if based on something old) and there will always be space for it (until our attention span wanes).
It should also be noted that TikTok's parent company is named ByteDance so that's a super interesting coincidence. Byte might be trying to take advantage of a growing distrust of TikTok, just through its name. In fact, an early trend on Byte is dragging TikTok. If nothing else, the battle between loyal TikTok users and newly loyal Byte users should be interesting to watch. On Twitter.
Regardless, since I finally got a phone with a decent camera, you can find me on Byte, uploading one video, sighing at my two views, then deleting the app.
