The use of GIFs (animated images) has become the norm online — particularly in social media and messaging applications. GIFs can be used as an image language to enhance the impact and relevance of your online content. But their ubiquity has also put them at risk of being inherently inefficient, inoffensive and divisive. This essay will attempt to explain those struggles and hopefully teach you some guidance on when and how to use GIFs in online communication.
GIFs, Why Did They Become This Popular?
GIFs are Graphics Interchange Formats (or image files) that store both static and animated images. They’ve been around since the late 1980s, though they haven’t started catching on as a mode of communication until the past 10 years or so, with the rise of social media and instant messaging services. Giphy, the world’s biggest GIF search engine, estimates that 10 billion GIFs are posted daily on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
GIFs as the Argument: Dynamic and Engaging.
GIFs are a sort of visual language that augments messaging. Their animations provide an extra layer of subtlety to capture moods and responses that sometimes cannot be captured through words. To give you some examples of the reasons why GIFs are now widely used in daily communications:
Emotional Appeal: GIFs can evoke emotions such as laughs, understanding, or excitement. An aptly timed GIF can inject levity into an otherwise formal exchange or make a situation seem ridiculous.
Cultural Connection: Since GIFs are often taken from popular culture — shows, movies, viral moments — they draw upon the same emotions and cultures in an attempt to connect.
Brevity and Impact: At a time when attention spans are shrinking, GIFs convey their message instantly and effectively. They can express an intricate thought or reaction in seconds.
Visual appeal: When a GIF is in motion, it immediately captures the viewer’s eye. In the era of information overload, GIFs can stand out from the crowd and get attention in a way that a still image could not.
The Counterpoint: When GIFs Fall Flat
GIFs aren’t without flaws, even if they’re so ubiquitous. Proponents of the format say they not only facilitate but sometimes hinder communication:
Distraction: if you’re using GIFs constantly in your work, then it’s distracting. A well-chosen GIF can help brighten a conversation, but it’s sometimes too much, and the seriousness of a discussion can be dispelled.
Context Misreading: GIFs have a habit of being ambiguous; for example, a funny GIF can look rude in an academic debate or when it’s culturally appropriate.
Barriers: Not everyone can process GIF in the same way. Even some people with disabilities might struggle to understand or access them and others might fail to accept the cultural analogies being used.
Bandwidth & Performance: Animations consume more bandwidth than plain images, so can lead to poor load times or accessibility, especially if you’re located in an area with poor internet access.
Striking the Right Balance
If you decide to adopt GIFs for business, you need to strike a balance between novelty and seriousness. A few suggestions for your convenience:
Understanding Context
Context plays a crucial role in deciding if a message should contain a GIF. Yeah, they’re fun and engaging modes of expression, but they’re not necessarily healthy. To begin with, consider what it is attempting to communicate and who it’s meant for.
An unpremeditated email to a co-worker, for example, might include a lighthearted GIF intended to intensify friendliness and make you feel good. Exactly the same GIF would not fit in a report, a presentation, or even a client letter. Much is culturally dispersed, too. A satirically cropped gif is offensive in one culture and insulting, even vulgar, in another. Therefore, it is important to place a particular emphasis on using this format in a given context as well as in a given audience’s culture.
Matching the Message
Your GIF should compliment your message, not detract from it. A good GIF allows the viewer to process, or even summarize at a glance, what is being conveyed, but a bad one throws the message into the wind. You might be sending a letter to someone on a personal level, but you’ll sound crass or insulting if you add a GIF to the letter. The conventional wisdom is that the GIF should support the message and the communication goal.
Considering Size and Length
The second is the length and width of the GIF. Bright, engaging GIFs draw attention, but big or long photos are not. Make sure your GIFs are short and not distracting from your message. a simple GIF will do a much better job of communicating compared to a long, complicated animation that might discourage people to read it. Always remember to consider file size-a GIF that takes ages to load might be uninteresting to the recipient, so it’s not a good idea to use it.
Respecting Copyright
Copyrights have to be negotiated every time one inserts GIFs into a message. Rights-based reproduction based on unauthorised access to copyrighted materials can carry highly undesirable legal implications. Just use the original GIFs, or licenses and permissions if you’re copying someone else’s. Not only is this a legal practice, but it also respects the intellectual property of the original authors.
Emphasize Diversity and Inclusion
Lastly, GIF choices should be a reflection of your diversity and inclusion mindset. Try to make sure the GIFs you choose are not stereotyped and offensive. You also need to be sure that any animations or images your audience will see are inclusive of all the cultures, races and genders in your audience. A thoughtful selection of GIFs will foster a culture of inclusivity that values everyone’s history and experience.
Best Practices for GIF Usage
If you’re looking to include GIFs in your digital communication strategy, here are some tips:
Know Your Target: Create GIFs that cater to your recipients’ tastes and character. Occasionally, you can avoid it entirely by using funny or light-hearted GIFs in your work environment, but in other situations, you may as well take your chances.
Context: Never forget the context of your message. Is it a congratulatory message? A light-hearted chat? Or a serious matter? Select GIFs that reflect the tone of conversation.
Keep Up with the Times: A GIF that can relate to today’s zeitgeist or popular culture can make your message more relatable. But don’t use obscure or esoteric GIFs.
Use Less: Using too many GIFs can reduce their impact. A well-placed GIF can improve communications but too many of them are inconvenient and unprofessional.
Feedback & Change: Listen to people’s reactions to your GIFs. Are they paying attention to your messages or are they lost? Learn to modify the message based on how your audience responds.
Conclusion:
GIFs are powerful emotive tools that can make electronic messages expressibly and emotionally powerful. But their use must be a matter of context, message, size and length, copyright, and diversity and inclusivity. Communicators, used responsibly and smartly, will enjoy their benefits and enjoy fruitful conversations on the internet.
