Lightening the mood with visual humor: The pragmatic functions of GIFs.

Large, colorful, and dynamic, GIFs are a staple of computer-mediated communication and have been hypothesized to perform similar discursive functions to other graphicons (e.g., emoticons, emoji). This research assesses how individuals interpret the discursive uses of GIFs in one-on-one conversations. Twenty dyads shared four GIF-containing text message conversations and privately indicated which of 14 proposed functions each GIF served. Respondents then selected two predominant functions of each GIF. The results show that GIFs are multi-functional and can perform all functions, although respondents showed a preference for riffing and reaction. Some commonly selected functions were less likely to be selected as predominant uses, such as tone modification and acknowledging the mood of the conversation. In concluding, it is considered whether GIFs and graphicons in general should be viewed as having one predominant or many simultaneous uses and whether fine-grained taxonomies or broad simplified taxonomies should be utilized in future graphicon research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]