We don't have the ability to use them here and that may be a good thing. A sports site I often visit has banned them. The guy who runs the place said people who have nothing intelligent to say use gifs. They do seem kind of juvenile.
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I LOVE them! Too back we don't have them here. This board is technologically challenged.
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I would imagine they take up up bandwidth/space as well on a site which could bring up the running costs. I have heard Admins state this a few times on different sites.
I agree that they are juvenile and are often used as a means to express agreement, confusion or amusement. Why not just write that or better still the forum could add a thumbs up option?
Sometimes the gif seems to be completely irrelevant too.
good points.
shareI'm on a hockey site where some people throw them in when it seems pertinent but I'm always glad when they move down thread. Seems like a photo is usually just as good as a gif.
shareYeah, they're juvenile. That's why they're so fun.
shareThe interpretation might be what renders them more juvenile.
For example, outside of deliberate trolling that's clear and evident, the overuse of gifs basically has the ability to deduce a whole subject in to nothing but "image speak" of sorts, making it a way of conveying expression graphically more so than with words (which may seem less clear/more subjective). I guess that doesn't make it a bad thing as that sentiment can work for some sometimes (like in the case an image can give a better idea than words you could express a certain way), but it's kind of so-so with me.
Sure, I can enjoy gifs used, but some forums/sites are basically > 50% gifs and it becomes more of a conveying of image expression than actual writing/reading of words/meanings more specifically and concisely. I imagine an image board as something more along the lines of 4chan-esque internet culture, which I'm not saying is outright bad or anything, but has its flaws of course since as you can see there's a fine line with it becoming really low-effort/juvenile/trolling/etc. Don't know if I feel the same about emojis, but those I probably use more.
Speaking of this back in the MSN messenger days I chatted with some women who would just throw gifs in for the fuck of it. I was pretty knew to online chat and though these things meant something. What a waste of time and a head fuck!
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