The looping animated icons known as GIFs have provided websites with a unique visual element since the dawn of the Internet. Of course, today’s GIFs do far more than just attract eyes to otherwise dull sites. People use them constantly in social media and text message conversations to express emotions that are difficult to convey with words. And as this video shows, companies like Giphy think that these moving images will soon turn into major money makers for content creators and other entertainment ventures.
Questions:
- How does a streaming video company like Hulu benefit when someone posts a GIF drawn from one of the platform’s TV shows?
- Do you think websites like Giphy will eventually charge customers to use specific GIFs?