GIFs Are Bad. Stop Using Them

Okay, please don’t throw rocks at me. I love GIFs as much as the next guy, but they are outdated in 2022. In fact, using them on a website makes no sense. Why? Let’s find out.

Read also: Collaborative Web Apps Are Everywhere. What Makes Them So Popular?

GIF is a dated format

GIFs are everywhere. It makes sense: they are fun. In the 00s, they were like magic. Now, they are a way to communicate when we have nothing to say. But this format is heavy and unoptimized. There are options, so please, don’t use GIFs.

But what else is there?

Back in the day, GIFs were a magical way to have videos embedded on forums and websites. Now you can just use… videos. Many platforms (like Twitter) convert GIFs to videos, thus compressing their sizes. And sometimes, the videos take up 90% less space. It helps pages to load faster, and people can use less data—a win-win.

What is better than GIF?

Okay, if video files, then what formats? The choice is usually between MPEG4 and WebM. Twitter uses good old MPEG4, which is the oldest format. The newer WebM is not as widely supported, but it offers better quality at a smaller size. The choice is yours!