Today’s Internet looks radically different than it did just five years ago. Users want images to convey the information sought or entertainment desired. Visual culture is trending through GIFs and memes. GIF is an acronym for graphic interchange format where image data is compressed into looping sequences. Memes are pictorial units expressing ineffable cultural idiosyncrasies. This project aims to understand the implications of increasing digital visual culture by synthesizing the seminal and contemporary structures of uses and gratifications theory. Uses are defined by the needs of the individual, and gratifications are the specific fulfillments thereof. The active theory progress as it contextualizes the facets of Internet so we as users can better understand the significance of visual culture in our lives.
