It’s 2016, and the rise of the meme has catapulted the animated GIF into the public eye. Where once we might have posted a boring picture or an obnoxious video, GIFs now reign supreme. In essence, they function as short, silent video clips that loop endlessly, which makes them the perfect media format for capturing the spectacular slam dunks and viral dance crazes that sweep the web.
The GIF is a natural encapsulation of today’s society. It’s easy to make, easy to share, and — best of all — it’s built for a shorten attention span. Video looping services such as Boomerang and the soon-to-be-late Vine have tweaked the format, but GIFs live on due to their versatility. We expect our technological mediums to work together seamlessly, and the file format is a perfect example. That’s why, in 2015, Facebook introduced GIF support. Now, you can dominate your friends’ feeds with moving pictures! It’s like the late 1800s all over again. Read on to find out how.
Writer’s note: Although Facebook supports GIFs, the social network currently doesn’t allow you to upload them. Uploading a GIF using the “Photo/Video” tool will simply upload a single frame of the GIF as an image.
First, you’ll want to find a suitable GIF. If you have one in mind, great. If not, there are scores of GIF-hosting websites out there — GIPHY, for example — where you can search for the perfect match. Once you’ve found it, copy the URL. Some sites will offer explicit links below the image in question, while others will require you to copy the link from the address bar or right-click on the GIF and select Copy Image Address from the pop-up menu.
The next step is to post your GIF to Facebook. You can post the GIF link as as a status update in your News Feed, or on the walls of your friends and groups. You can even post the link in event pages, or send a GIF via Facebook Messenger! Once you paste the GIF’s URL into the appropriate field, you should see a preview of the GIF below the text box. You’re now free to delete the URL and replace it with a caption. Click the blue Post button when finished.
Congratulations! You now possess the power to post GIFs to Facebook. Now, try to use it for good instead of evil.
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