There is a new social media site that is trying to fill the "vine" void in our minds Byte, the somewhat official successor to the former short-form video platform, has shot to the top of the App Store charts after an unexpected launch on January 24

Apparently today's teenagers are not as devoted to TikTok as we might think, as Byte gained popularity fairly quickly, garnering at least 100,000 downloads on the Google Play Store and reaching #1 on the iOS App Store in its first weekend

Dom Hofmann, co-founder of Vine, revived the six-second looping video format in hopes that Byte would outlast its predecessor, which closed in 2017 after failing to monetize

So welcome back, Vine, or maybe Byte But can it compete with viral meme maker TikTok? Here's everything you need to know about this new social media app

If you remember Vine, you know the drill Upload a clip from your camera roll or use the built-in camera to capture your content, adhere to the six-second time limit, hit publish, and your "bytes" will start looping

The Discovery page allows you to explore viral bites and discover their creators You can also view feeds curated by interest, such as anime and fitness By following accounts you like and "rebyte" clips, the app will show you more of what you might like

Despite its popularity, Vine lost its top creators to more profitable platforms like YouTube The Twitter-owned app announced its demise in 2016 and closed store for good in early 2017 Grievers may think Byte is exactly what has disappeared from the Internet since then

Like Vine, Byte's six-second length limit encourages content without fill If you have a story to share, you may need to devise a way to tell it quickly The result is punchy quotes and moments that might be unintentionally missed

But Byte has a plan to keep key creators active this time around It is an income-generating opportunity; Byte has stated that it will launch a partner program that will reward those who nurture the Byte community

Although it has only been in place for a few days, Byte's most popular content is already anti-TikTok Billed as a "creativity-first" platform, Byte seems to prioritize what TikTok's methods counteract: originality

Much of TikTok's content consists of people copying each other and participating in viral challenges While it is fun to get together with friends and recreate popular videos, Byte wants to give users a place to create more authentic content

For now, however, Byte lacks TikTok's editing features such as AR filters and transition effects; with Instagram and Snapchat also contributing to filter expectations, Byte may consider diversifying its current offerings

Shortly after its launch, users noticed that Byte was flooded with spam comments Followers and "likes" in the comments section of other people's videos in the comment sections of other people's videos, apparently in an attempt to profit from the platform's upcoming partner program

However, Byte addressed the issue in a blog post, stating that squashing the spambots is a "top priority"

Since TikTok is thriving despite similar spam issues, there is no reason to think that a few follow-hungry users will undermine Byte's initial efforts Especially if, as the developers say, they are actively fixing the problem

Still, it is difficult to speculate whether Byte has what it takes to compete in the crowded social media world However, it is clear from its success on the download charts that there is interest in apps like Vine