--- title: Is this the end of the GIF? - The Hustle description: The internet’s most prolific file format might be on the way out. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1766879646-HS-News-Brief_2022-10-11T001633.172Z.webp --- # Is this the end of the GIF? ![Rob Litterst](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rob-Litterst-pic.png?width=48&height=48&name=Rob-Litterst-pic.png) [Rob Litterst](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/rob-litterst) [Rob Litterst Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/robbylit) Published: October 11, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 In 2016, a Tumblr executive called GIFs “the file format of the internet generation.” ![Is this the end of the GIF?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1766879646-HS-News-Brief_2022-10-11T001633.172Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1766879646-HS-News-Brief_2022-10-11T001633.172Z.webp) Six years later, the looping image format is being [described](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/10/using-reaction-gifs-over-tumblr-giphy/671680/?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4) as “cringe” by younger generations, per *The Atlantic*. #### **What happened?** In short, a combination of things: - **Accessibility:** GIF-searching features on Facebook, Twitter, and iMessage brought the format to the masses. - **Over-usage:** As using GIFs became easier, more people started using them, often selecting the same ones over and over. As older adults started using the same GIFs as their children and grandchildren, the format lost its cool factor. #### **But are GIFs really going away?** GIF database Giphy reported declining uploads on its platform and said younger users describe GIFs as “for boomers” in a filing with the Competition and Markets Authority. - **Further,** **another file type has emerged:** MP4 video files, which can display a similar effect to GIFs at a smaller file size, have been embraced by most social media platforms. Of course, as the latest wave of nostalgia proves — culture is [cyclical](https://thepatterning.com/2017/02/13/the-nostalgia-pendulum-a-rolling-30-year-cycle-of-pop-culture-trends/). So as soon as we proclaim the death of the GIF, some trendsetters are sure to resurrect it once again. 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