GIF is convenient, but I want audio clips instead.

Year after year, GIF has become a characteristic standard for quickly sharing reaction memos on social media. Most apps have seamlessly integrated GIF search engines, making it easy to find the most suitable GIF regardless of context. However, one major issue with this format is that it lacks audio functionality.

Why Did GIFs Become Such a Big Deal?

The reason why GIFs are so popular among users is understandable. GIFs provide users with the ability to share videos and offer individual response methods. This allows for effective capture of movement (and emotions), making online communication more expressive and appealing.

GIFs are convenient and load quickly even on the slowest connections, enabling seamless online conversations. With GIF browsers like GIPHY and Tenor, they can be found instantly. Additionally, it's easy to create your own GIF if one is needed.

Short Clips Are Better.

"Don't misunderstand me. I love GIFs and use them constantly. When expressing strong emotions online, GIFs are infinitely superior to general emojis or stickers. They are very fun, and scrolling through options themselves becomes an entertainment source. However, the lack of audio is making the experience incomplete."

Imagine how much more interesting a meme GIF with sound would be. I claim that by including sound in almost all GIFs, they become even more enjoyable. Simply put, if there's a quick way to share them, short videos are better than GIFs.

Why Don't GIFs Have Sound?

GIFs are image-based and do not support audio. Animation GIFs can be thought of as digital flipbooks: a series of images played sequentially to create the illusion of movement.

Some websites claim they have created sound-enabled GIFs, but in reality, they are short clips in MP4 or WEBM file formats. To add audio to a GIF, another format is needed. Technically speaking, this is no longer a GIF.

Why Do Short Clip Browsers Lack GIFs?

The reason why there are still no short clip browsers besides GIFs is unclear. Some might think it's due to server storage issues, but MP4 files are actually smaller than GIFs, and WEBM files are even smaller. These files include audio and have better visual quality compared to GIFs. Therefore, many GIF databases use the GIFV file extension to migrate to MP4. Most GIFs seen online are in fact MP4 videos that behave like GIFs.

Why Don't GIFs Have Sound?

GIFs are image-based and do not support audio. Animation GIFs can be thought of as digital flipbooks: a series of images played sequentially to create the illusion of movement.

Some websites claim they have created sound-enabled GIFs, but in reality, they are short clips in MP4 or WEBM file formats. To add audio to a GIF, another format is needed. Technically speaking, this is no longer a GIF.

Why Do Short Clip Browsers Lack GIFs?

The reason why there are still no short clip browsers besides GIFs is unclear. Some might think it's due to server storage issues, but MP4 files are actually smaller than GIFs, and WEBM files are even smaller. These files include audio and have better visual quality compared to GIFs. Therefore, many GIF databases use the GIFV file extension to migrate to MP4. Most GIFs seen online are in fact MP4 videos that behave like GIFs.