Tinder says GIFs and emoji lead to better connections

The company also found that conversations with GIFs were two times longer than those without, and since the feature was enabled in 2016, more than 100 million GIFs have been sent around the world in the app. Tinder's sociologist Dr. Jess Carbino told Engadget that she regularly interviews the company's users. She believes starting conversations is challenging, and that GIFs and emojis are a good way to break the ice, because "people are very attracted to art and things that are visual," she said. When asked if the animated images could be used as a crutch, Dr Carbino argued, "GIFs are a good way to assess compatibility and sense of humor." The GIFs aren't just used by young people, either.