It’s hard to believe that the GIF is already 30 years old, as we probably have just paid more attention to it in the past few years. Facebook and its Messenger have probably been two apps that have been using and pushing this form of fun communication and to celebrate its anniversary, they are taking a closer look at it, as well as introducing some new GIF-related news. They are even attempting to settle the debate as to how do you actually pronounce it.
First, the good news is that GIF comments are now finally available for everyone in the Facebook comments section. Sometimes, the appropriate response to a post is a GIF, and so now it’s easier for you to do so. Just tap on the GIF button when you’re making a comment, search for what GIF you’re looking for, and then add and send it. Facebook has even teamed up with GIPHY Studios to make 20 special GIFs featuring a lot of Internet-famous faces: DNCE, Logan Paul, Amanda Cerny, DREEZY, Patrick Starr, Violet Benson, Wuz Good, Brandi Marie, and Landon Moss.
If you want proof that GIFs are popular within the Facebook community, the social media giant shared that last year, for every minute, people were sending almost 25,000 GIFs. And in Messenger itself, the number of people who send these animated photos has tripled in just the past year. This year’s New Year’s Day celebration was the most popular GIF sending day, with more than 400 million sent.
But one thing that people have not agreed on is to how to actually pronounce it. Facebook is setting up a poll on its official page which asks the question: “hard g” or “soft g”? It’s not a life-changing debate but it would still be fun to see what people really think.
SOURCE: Facebook
