Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing — and changing us.

The internet got emotional on Thursday when Twitter unexpectedly announced it was shutting down Vine, the company’s six-second looping video app.

Twitter quickly transformed into a feed full of #RIPVine memorial tributes as users who probably hadn’t used the app in months rushed to share their favorite short videos from the app’s nearly three-year existence.

On Vine itself, the site’s numerous “Vine stars” posted their farewell messages, too. Included in almost every one: A plea for users to follow them on their other accounts in places like YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

And that, in a nutshell, is why Vine is going away. The site’s biggest stars, the folks who made it big because Vine gave them a platform to be funny and creative, had already brought their talents elsewhere by the time Vine announced its own death — places where they could make more money (YouTube), make longer videos (Instagram), or just find the largest audience (Facebook).

Vine clearly left an impact on the internet, but it failed to keep up with the talented creators it helped to spurn.

And that’s too bad. #RIPVine