The science behind the way we use GIFs, what kind of user are you?

Photo: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

The GIFs are one of the most popular communication tools in the digital age and a recent study looked at how people choose GIFs that you use to communicate or reinforce your ideas.

According to the research, the use of GIFs has become more and more commoneven among older generations, as people realize how effectively they communicate humor, allow users to express themselves and maintain relationships.

Scott Church, professor of communication at Brigham Young University (BYU), says that while people may not think much about their use of GIFs, understanding them and how we use them can help us better understand ourselves and how we communicate in today’s media environment.

According to a new study by Church and a BYU team of co-authors, GIF users fall into three categories: GIF enthusiasts, Searchers or Referentialists.

GIF enthusiasts

The GIF enthusiasts are internet culture connoisseurs, says Church, those who know GIFs well and enjoy using them to make others laugh. Enthusiasts see GIFs as a meaningful way to express themselves and like to impress others with their knowledge and familiarity with GIFs.

Enthusiasts love the emotion that GIFs allow them to express through text, and they understand that they are a richer form of communication than emojis or images. They are primarily motivated by the communicative potential of GIFs, and that motivation comes from focusing on the social benefits of sending GIFs.

“I hate that my body language can’t express itself through text messages; much of our communication is lost,” says one of the GIF enthusiasts in this study. “I think GIFs help to recover a little of what is lost.”

seekers

For searchers, it’s all about the “thrill of the hunt”, looking for the perfect GIF. Every situation is unique, and they like to find the GIF that exactly matches what they want to express.

One participant said: “A friend will do something and then I will find one that shows what he did”.

Search engines view GIFs as a lighthearted and humorous form of communication, and avoid using them to talk about serious or authentic topics. They prefer fast, easy-to-view GIFs, and they don’t think romantic or long GIFs are worth your time. Searchers often like to scroll to find the perfect GIF, see it as a challenge, and often find little-known GIFs that perfectly complement a situation.

referentialists

Referentialists are often related to pop culture and don’t like having to search for GIFs. They are much more likely to use GIFs as a response to a GIF sent to you because it references a common interest, such as a popular TV show or meme.

A referrer said: “I love using pop culture…it’s kind of an inside joke”while another said: “If there is someone who likes to use GIFs, I try to reciprocate… to match their style.”

The Referentialists often use fandom-specific GIFsas that helps them bypass the GIF search process and potentially offers them ways to engage with their audience.

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