This new addition could have a big impact on interactions with posts/brands/Pages in general. Before, users had to go to a specific website like Giphy and find a GIF, get the link and paste it into the comments section (a big hassle for today’s users, especially if using mobiles). Now, with a click of a button, users can search for their favorite GIF or select one of the trending GIFs in order to express themselves in comments.

• This can be big since it drives more user interactions, a more personalized and complex message without the users having to read too much and without using the simpler forms of stickers and/or emojis.
• It can make quite a big impact in terms of customer service and how the Pages interact with their users. The main issue here is knowing how to use them properly and not coming off as offensive or incredibly “unfunny” to put it in a nice way.
• Brands should also make sure not to over-use the feature, and we hope people won’t either. In short, you don’t want your audience to look like this after seeing your GIF reply:

• It could have a great impact on real-time marketing since many GIFs are created after a certain popular event and take off accordingly. Making sure to use that properly and appropriately will be key. Creating special gifs can be also a great part of brands strategy and recognition
• Users will be faced with/have the option to use more content-rich material such as GIFs and this will likely redefine the way users interact with each other on certain posts as well. Expect a troll to have a great GIF comeback to someone who formulated a well-written long comment presenting their argument and that troll winning people’s hearts more easily than before.

In the spirit of interactive media, here’s a video published by Facebook announcing the introduction of GIF comments and how to add them for you to find out more how this can be done!