Warning: Using this GIF while Old may not actually make you appear more hip. When to use it: Whenever an Old is attempting to blend in with the Youngs. Origin: Steve Buscemi’s 2009 guest appearance in 30 Rock’s fourth season led to this timeless moment - timeless because, for as long as the world continues to turn, old and uncool adults will continue to flail while attempting to connect with Today’s Youth. When to use it: Whenever you need to drop the mic, make a killer exit, or end on a high note. Origin: When President Obama finished his remarks at his final White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2016, he literally dropped the mic. When to use it: Whenever you want to toast or congratulate someone on the internet - either ironically or sincerely. Origin: 2013’s The Great Gatsby was a sumptuous visual feast, but this meme-orable moment has transcended its context to become an all-purpose reaction for the ages. When to use: You’ve walked into an awkward situation, or just stumbled upon a major internet can of worms that you’d prefer not to open.
Origin: This iconic awkward Simpsons moment appears in season five, episode 16, “Homer Loves Flanders” it’s Homer’s reaction to finding out that the Flanders family wants some non-Homer time to themselves. When to use it: Whenever the state of the world or the news or your life or anything else makes you feel like absolutely nothing matters anymore. And many people thought it summed up the national zeitgeist then. Origin: Tumblr word art artist Cat Frazier made this GIF in 2012. Here are Vox’s choices for the most iconic reaction GIFs on the internet - ranked by order of necessity to our lives, from occasionally essential to can’t-use-the-internet-without-them. When you can shorthand “blinking white guy” and have people understand exactly which blinking white guy you’re talking about, your reaction GIF has reached peak internet saturation. The internet would appear to have many, many, many candidates for “greatest GIF of all time,” but it’s undeniable that some reaction GIFs are so ubiquitous that the average internet user can likely picture them simply from reading a description. And as we consider the legacy of the internet’s greatest file format, we must pause to recognize a special category of GIF that’s left an indelible mark on social media: the reaction GIF. The GIF is now 30 years old, but it already feels immortal - possibly because it’s already outlasted the internet’s most turbulent periods of evolution.
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