In 2016, a Tumblr executive called GIFs “the file format of the internet generation.”
Six years later, the looping image format is being described as “cringe” by younger generations, per The Atlantic.
In short, a combination of things:
As older adults started using the same GIFs as their children and grandchildren, the format lost its cool factor.
GIF database Giphy reported declining uploads on its platform and said younger users describe GIFs as “for boomers” in a filing with the Competition and Markets Authority.
Of course, as the latest wave of nostalgia proves — culture is cyclical. So as soon as we proclaim the death of the GIF, some trendsetters are sure to resurrect it once again.