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June 23, 2014

The Digital Love Language of GIFs

For those of you unaware of the GIF mania sweeping the country, the above video is a brief history of the medium. Whether a meme makes your heart sing, or you’re a sucker for a sweet emoji, everyone has a  “digital” love language. Suitors take note: I’m a GIF gal. GIF, an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format, is increasingly becoming the go-to method of expression in the digital space. While some say affection for GIFs is attributed to our generation’s 140 character attention span, one could argue the use of GIFs is part of the larger storytelling process. And unless you’ve been ignoring the internet for the past decade, you should know GIFs go way back (a refresher: that dancing baby).

Bottom line: Why tell a story when you can show it?

The internet exploded with joy when last week, Twitter announced that the platform can now support GIFs. And while animation abuse is cause for concern among GIF-ers (I’m looking at you, BuzzFeed), if used properly, GIFs are perfect for the social space.

For example:

Don’t have the right words to voice your sentiment?

Need to accentuate a point you’re trying to make?

Lack proper communication skills and can only express yourself through recycled J. Law press clips?

Use a GIF. Click here to learn how to incorporate GIFs in Twitter .