Say goodbye to your favorite GIF reactions from Gfycat.
The popular source for netizens' GIF reactions recently announced it is shutting its operations down in September, advising everyone to save their favorite GIF reactions before then.
Gfycat first went online in 2015 and was among the first web services to allow developers and users to convert videos into GIFs and let them use the results on various sites, per the company's About Us page.
Gfycat Shut Down Details
Gfycat has been hosting user-generated GIFs for almost a decade and has become one of the go-to sites for people to find and use the GIFs hosted on it for various purposes, like reacting to something to convey their emotions.
However, nothing is meant to last forever, even a website as popular as Gfycat. The company recently posted a notice on its official website that its service is being disconnected and that users should save or delete the content they uploaded on the site after Sept. 1, when the company will delete all its content and data from the website.
While Gfycat did provide tips on how to save or delete user-generated content on its platform, it didn't mention why it is being shut down. However, a few users on Hacker News and Reddit provided information that could shed some light on the subject.
Snap, the same company running Snapchat, acquired Gfycat years before Meta tried to acquire Gfycat's competitor, GIFHY, per Reuters.
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Since then, Gfycat has been in a state of disarray - snap let the company's security certificates expire in May, preventing anyone from accessing the site, while its users reported failed GIF uploads, extended downtime, and silence from Gfycat's team if it still has one, per Mashable.
As such, many users believe that Snap had Gfycat stop its operations since its acquisition years ago and that Snap is locking down the competition (Gfycat) so it can be the only relevant business on the market. Gfycat's shutdown is just the confirmation of what's been happening long ago.
Snap has yet to officially address Gfycat's shutdown as of press time, which seems unlikely as almost nobody noticed Snap's acquisition of Gfycat.
How To Save or Delete Content on Gfycat
Since Gfycat will delete all content and data after Sept. 1, the company advised its users to save the content they uploaded or delete them on or before the deadline. To do so, Gfycat advised users to log into their accounts and save/delete their content from there.
A Reddit user going by the username ShineAsNine made a Gfycat downloader tool that disables SSL verification and allows Gfycat users to download user profiles and GIFs, individually or as a group.
The Wayback Machine also helps in accessing Gfycat and saving content, though it could take some time to do so through this method.
Gfycat's demise is a reminder that not even the most popular website lasts on the internet - just look at Friendster and Myspace.
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