Keep in mind, the GIF’s creation happened before most homes even had Internet! These days, you can’t scroll through your Android without seeing a plethora of GIFs. They’re all over social media and entertainment sites, and they’re even sitting in your inbox as photo messages. If you’re curious to know how this 30-year-old imaging technology is still alive and kicking, read on below to find out.

Read More: How to Up Your Social Media Game with GIFs

Where It All Started

1987 was so long ago that Steve Wilhite himself can’t remember what the first GIF was. (He believes it might have been an airplane). But there is one thing he’s very clear about: Wilhite insists that “GIF” is said with a soft G (“jif”), as opposed to that hard G — which is the popular pronunciation!

In any case, the GIF was created to accommodate the dial-up Internet of the 80s. Since online connections ran at a snail’s pace, GIFs were designed to transfer moving color images at slow speeds. Encompassed by one GIF is: up to 8 bits per pixel, a palette of up to 256 different colors, and a 24-bit RGB color space. Needless to say, this format is very no frills.

The GIF’s Impact on Today’s Culture

So, how did the GIF survive until 2017? Well, it almost didn’t. When AOL bought CompuServe in 1998, the GIF died out when it was replaced by AOL’s emojis. But luckily enough for GIF lovers, AOL also freely offered up the GIF’s patents as public domain — and media artists saw a new venue for creativity!

These 90s artists singlehandedly revitalized the GIF until it got a renewed existence on MySpace in the 2000s. However, online users got tired of these big, sparkly GIFs and the format faded away. Around 2012, Tumblr and Reddit users saw untapped possibility in the GIF’s usage. Distilling movies, TV shows, and other entertainment media into GIFs led to fun, new possibilities. The format’s popularity exploded like never before.

Users now regularly show how they’re feeling by using a single GIF. They’ve become a creative form of self-expression. Post a GIF on your Facebook or Twitter feeds. Upload a GIF onto your blog. Send a GIF to a buddy over text messenger. GIFs are everywhere and it looks like they’re here to stay!

The creation of these GIFs extends to WhatsApp, too. Thus, if SMS is not your thing, then WhatsApp will cater to all of your GIF needs. Use DFNDR’s WhatsApp Cleaner to ensure that all of your favorite GIFs are safe and sound within the app. The WhatsApp Cleaner is a feature that allows you to gain storage space by eliminating old and unused videos, audio messages, GIFs, and images shared on WhatsApp. DFNDR shows you, in just one screen, exactly how much space you can save by removing old WhatsApp files from your phone. You’re able to select which files, and from which date, that you want to remove. Click here to remove old, unwanted GIFs from your device now:

GIPHY Keys enables you to search and send GIFs to anyone that you want to. GIPHY Keys can provide you with the perfect GIF for any occasion. For instance, sometimes a picture of Beyonce smiling says a lot more than a simple smiley face emoji.

Not only can you search for GIFs on GIPHY Keys, but you can also create them as well. You can even get a GIF of the current weather outside. For example, if it’s a rainy day outside, there will be a lot of rainy day GIFs available for you to send to all of your buddies. You can also make a GIF out of your own image. For example, if you want to make a smiley face GIF using your face, the app provides an easy template for you to do so.

This application also includes several “reaction GIFs” that add a significant creative element to texting. For example, if you are surprised by a statement your friend made, you can send a “surprised” reaction GIF to your friend to inform him or her of your emotional response to his or her statement.

DFNDR’s WhatsApp Cleaner is a perfect way to ensure optimal performance for your WhatsApp app. The WhatsApp Cleaner is a feature that allows you to gain storage space by eliminating old and unused videos, audio messages, GIFs, and images shared on WhatsApp. This feature will show you exactly how much space you can save by removing old WhatsApp files from your phone. You can easily select which files that you want to remove from the app. This will quickly free up storage space on your phone and improve your phone’s memory. That way, you’ll have more room for new apps, photos, videos, and more. Click here to use the WhatsApp Cleaner to remove old files from your device:

GIF — which is pronounced “jif” — is an acronym for “Graphics Interchange Format.” It is an image format that enables users to send short, inaudible pixelated videos to friends. It is a popular way for various users to communicate. Instead of sending an emoji or a wordy response, a user can locate a GIF that perfectly mimics how he or she is feeling. For example, if a user is excited about news that he or she just received, they could respond to a friend’s text message with a GIF of their favorite TV show character jumping up and down with excitement.

Here’s how you can access GIFs on WhatsApp.

First, open WhatsApp. Then, click the “+” button in your WhatsApp messenger. Select “Photo & Video Library,” and you should see your camera roll. After this new update, you should see a magnifying glass in the bottom left-hand corner, with the word “GIF” on it. Select this magnifying glass and a row of GIFs should appear. You can search through these GIFs, or scroll through the most recent or popular ones to pick one that suits your fancy.

What does Lucky do?

Lucky sends GIFs to you based on what you type to the bot. For example, if you say “I love you,” the bot might respond with a GIF of hearts. If you text it “Hello,” the bot might respond with a Grizzly bear GIF that waves hello. Or, if you’re not sure what kind of GIF you want to see, you can type a phrase like “Let’s go” to see an entirely random GIF. Plus, Lucky is cute: it’s a little smiley face with its tongue sticking out.

Read More: Here Are the New Updates Coming to Google Voice

Where does Lucky come from?

The Lucky bot was inspired by the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button on Google’s homepage that takes users to random webpages based on what they type into the search bar. Unlike Google Assistant or other helpful bots, the Lucky bot — like the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button itself — is just for fun.

How do I use Lucky?

First, you have to download Google Allo, the chat app on which Lucky resides. To talk with Lucky on Allo, you just have to type in @lucky followed by a phrase describing the GIF you want to see.

Can I start using Lucky now?

Maybe. Some Allo users have already started interacting with the Lucky bot, but the bot hasn’t been showing up on lots of platforms. Don’t give up on Lucky if it takes a while to process your request — sometimes, the bot can take a while to find your GIF. But, your best bet for getting to interact with Lucky when the bot is rolled out on a large scale is by downloading the latest version of Allo from the Google Play Store. Since Lucky hasn’t been rolled out everywhere yet, everyone is still curious about whether or not it’s a fun addition to Allo. We’ll have to wait to see how successful the bot is in the long run.

Just recently, GIFs started gaining popularity in the world of social media. However, the fact that they are not-quite-pictures, but not-quite-videos can make the process of inserting them into different venues complicated. Here is a quick guide on how you can use GIFs on all of your favorite social media platforms:

Instagram
 To use a GIF on Instagram, you must save, and select the file from your device. If you find the GIF online, save it as a link instead of an image. You can then download the GIF onto your phone, via the link, and it will be saved to your camera roll. When you enter Instagram, click on the button to the left of the shutter to open your photo gallery, and select the desired GIF.

 Facebook
To post a GIF in a Facebook status update, or on someone’s wall, simply paste the URL of the GIF into the “Update status” option. This will upload the GIF in a visual format to the status.

To post a GIF in a Facebook comment, you must go to the far right corner of the “Add a comment” option. There you’ll see a button labeled “GIF.” When you click on this button, you can upload a link of the GIF as a comment.

 Read More: How To Find Hidden Facebook Messages

Twitter
GIFs can be uploaded to Twitter via the photo gallery after downloading the link to your device. Using the same process described for Instagram, download the link from a website, and the GIF will be saved to your camera roll. Once the GIF is downloaded, tap the camera icon on Twitter, and select the desired GIF from your photo gallery.

To use a GIF from the GIF library, tap the button labeled “GIF” on Twitter, and you will have access to Twitter’s GIF database. Keep in mind that you can only include one GIF per Tweet, but they will be posted in full size.

Post in a Giphy!
GIFs are not the only fun, high tech option available for your social media outlets. If you’re interested in upping your Facebook game in other ways, check out our blog post on the latest Facebook features, and download PSafe TOTAL so your GIFs will never lag on you again