Is 2026 the new 2016?

Back then, we didn't know that Facebook could win or lose elections, and become weaponized, that Gamergate-style harassment would take over politics, or that we were about to lose the creative, absurd, and sometimes brilliant short-form video platform Vine.

Here's the good news: We're going to try to recapture the magic of Vine. Rabble’s new app, Divine, is available now at Divine.video and the links below.

To celebrate Divine's launch, we brought back two of our favorite podcast guests: journalist & founder of User Mag, Taylor Lorenz; and the host of the podcast "There Are No Girls on the Internet," Bridget Todd. They talk with Rabble about the rise of Vine, why it failed as a business and got shut down by Twitter, and how that rise & fall rippled throughout the creator economy.

Taylor & Bridget have spent years documenting the evolution of social platforms from the inside out, and Rabble adds some behind the scenes color about the big brains and egos at Twitter. They also talk about what makes Divine different from Vine and existing apps like TikTok and Snapchat.

Here's to a joyful, creative, open internet. Join us on Divine! The link to download the app is below.

Download the app:

Google Play

ZapStore

Chapters:

Taylor’s Substack, User Mag

Bridget’s Instagram

Follow Rabble on Bluesky

This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm, and executive produced by Alice Chan from Flock Marketing.

To learn more about Rabble’s Social Media Bill of Rights, and sign up for our newsletter, visit https://revolution.social/