Moving to a different country is very difficult. The distance makes it harder to communicate with the people you have left behind. This was a concern of mine when I migrated to America. I pondered daily on how I would maintain the special connection I had with my family and friends. 

Previously, I had never been a fan of GIFs and stickers in texts, nor had I ever used one. Even so, when my cousin sent a sticker to my phone shortly after I had moved to the US, restrained laughter erupted from me. As I glanced at the sticker of Buttercup, the PowerPuff Girl, with heart-eyes and hearts all around her, happy memories raced through my brain. Now every group chat is flooded with GIFs and stickers. These modes of expression are the most effective way to communicate in a text message.

Lindsay Ferrara and Gabriella Hodge wrote a paper entitled “Language as Description, Indication, and Depiction” that analyzes, “When we try to communicate with one another often we say what we mean with a bunch of words, sometimes we point to what we mean, and other times we show what we mean.” 

The tone of someone’s voice and their body language can perfectly indicate what they mean, but on the contrary it is very difficult for effective communication to occur when they aren’t face to face. GIFs and stickers are a foolproof way of showing someone exactly what you want them to understand.

Regular texting leaves plenty to the imagination. The reader can visualize your face looking any way they deem appropriate. If you text “No!!!” they could think you are upset even if you are actually crying. Misunderstandings are more frequent because the receiver may not interpret your tone correctly when you text.

Katy Steinmetz, a writer for Time, reveals, “Visuals like emojis and GIFs can make up for the useful cues that are often missing from digital chit-chatting: the raise of an eyebrow, the shrug of the shoulders, the rolling of an eye.”  They represent your facial expressions excellently which allows someone to fully understand the context of your message.  

For me, whenever someone sends me a sarcastic message accompanied by a GIF I feel like I am staring right at their face. I can see how many times they roll their eyes, the curve of their lips and the lifting of their eyebrows. With GIFS and stickers the probability of mistaking their intentions is zero.

Yes, emojis are also pictures that can represent how you feel, but GIFs and stickers do it better. They exhibit an image or video of a person or animal performing actual actions which allows the receiver to perfectly visualize you doing the same.  

They create a world where you and your conversation partner only exist. You are free to fully express yourself and to also fully comprehend the conversation. It makes you feel as though you aren’t talking to a phone screen but to the person’s face.  

For me, GIFs and stickers turn the oceans into dry land and erase all borders. They make me feel like I am face-to-face with everyone I love. Anytime someone sends one to me I smile and think to myself, “Oh yes, this is the exact expression that would be on their face.” 

A survey conducted by Harris Poll and commissioned by GIF platform Tenor demonstrates that, “More than half of people of all ages said they use emojis and GIFs in messages to make people laugh, to lighten the mood and because they “make conversations more fun.”  They can be used as jokes when referred to a favorite tv show or celebrity. They also enable you to learn more about a person’s interests so you feel closer.

GIFs and stickers can be used when a serious situation needs to be lightened or when someone is expressing their opinion about something. This often leads to the entire group chat finding it hilarious so whenever a participant sees that GIF again they will remember the message creating their own inside joke. They always lively up a group chat and brighten someone’s day. 

Everyone should use GIFs and stickers when sending messages so they can brighten moods and form deeper connections. Take it from someone who was skeptical about their colorful and jovial presence, they are the best way to communicate to someone over the phone. 

Works Consulted

Hodge, Gabriella, and Benjamin Anible. “Why do we love gifs so much?” Benjamin Anible, 31 January 2020, benjaminanible.com/blog/why-do-we-love-gifs/ . Accessed 20 April 2022.

Steinmetz, Katy. “GIF and Emoji Survey: Many Millennials Prefer Them to Words.” TIME, 27 June 2017, time.com/4834112/millennials-gifs-emojis/ . Accessed 20 April 2022