Facebook reaction GIFs could soon finally be a thing
It's about freaking time. GIFs could finally be coming to more places on Facebook.
The social network plans to start testing a new GIF button in comments, Facebook confirmed Friday, meaning proper reaction GIFs could finally be a thing.
It's not clear if the test, which will apparently resemble the GIF button in Facebook Messenger, will become an official feature. In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson emphasized the feature is just an experiment for now.
“Everyone loves a good GIF and we know that people want to be able to use them in comments. So we're about to start testing the ability to add GIFs to comments and we'll share more when we can, but for now we repeat that this is just a test.”
Should Facebook decide to make GIFs in comments official, it seems safe to say expect your News Feed to be inundated with them. (Facebook added support for GIFs in News Feed in 2015 but the format hasn't been supported in comments.)
Also of note: it sounds like Facebook will integrate GIFs in comments the same way as it does in Messenger, meaning it will rely on GIFs from third-parties (Messenger pulls GIFs from a number of sources, including Giphy and Tenor), so you likely won't be able to upload your own GIFs.
Still, the fact that Facebook is even experimenting with the feature is good news and their own statement suggests they'l have much more to say about it in the future, which would certainly be cause for celebration.
h/t: TechCrunch
Topics Facebook
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
