Skip to main content

Psh. Google’s top GIFs of 2019 capture all the facial expressions text can’t

and i oop

Emojis aren’t the only replacement for eye rolls and exasperated expressions when communicating in text. On Tuesday, December 3, Google released the 2019 GIF search trends, a list of the most popular GIF searches and the most shared mini-animations on the year. And with slang like “psh” and “oop,” the list suggests we’re so over 2019.

The dismissive “psh” tops the list for the most searched for slang terms, turning up GIFs from YouTube comedian Ed Bassmaster in the top results. That’s followed by “oop,” the word for when you don’t have a word, as Urban Dictionary calls it. Slang to replace the facial expressions hidden when communicating by text continues to dot the 2019 GIFs trends list, with “oh man” in fourth and “not happy” in 10th.

not happy

“Hustle” was the third most-searched-for GIF. ‘Peasant’ and ‘dad joke’ made the list in fifth and sixth, followed by ‘no regrets,’ ‘everything,’ and beast.

Along with the most-searched-for GIFs, Google also complied a list of the most-shared GIFs by comparing the data from 2018. The top GIF of 2019 — an annoyed Stitch, from Lilo and Stitch, pulling on his eyelids seems appropriate for the top eye-roll moments of the year. Stich made the list again in the third-place spot, this time, crying in the rain.

Jim Carrey pulling his hair and yelling in the scene from Liar Liar where his lawyer character finds he can’t lie is the second most shared GIF of the year, according to Google’s data. The list also includes a spit-laughing minion in fourth, Will Ferrel from Elf screaming no in fifth, and Ted saying wow. The expressions of movie stars continues to be a favorite in the last half of the list, with a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air-era Will Smith “oh snap,” a Medea head shake, and a creepy smile from Toddlers in Tiaras.

fresh prince oh snap

And if you’re wondering what GIFs to share in the holiday season, Google’s got a list for that too. Elf is a safe bet, with scenes from the movie taking up the top ranking, as well as two other spots on the list. ’90s classics are good too, with Fresh Prince in second and Home Alone in third.

The data comes from the Tenor GIF keyboard iOS app. Tenor now powers GIF searches in Google products as well as in other platforms after Google bought the company last year.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
Bluesky barrels toward 1 million new sign-ups in a day
Bluesky social media app logo.

Social media app Bluesky has picked nearly a million new users just a day after exiting its invitation-only beta and opening to everyone.

In a post on its main rival -- X (formerly Twitter) -- Bluesky shared a chart showing a sudden boost in usage on the app, which can now be downloaded for free for iPhone and Android devices.

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more