9gag.com

As the pace of information sharing has quickened in recent times, the amount of content we can share with one another has decreased. Whereas once people would invite friends over to watch a movie together, today this same sentiment can be conveyed with a two second gif. Now, to be clear, I am not here to cast any aspersions or to lecture you about the declining quality of our forms of communication. I'm simply acknowledging that the content we see is getting quicker to view, allowing for a more streamlined form of socializing - especially online.

This has led to many companies, like HuffPost and The Verge, creating their own YouTube channels specifically for their respective audiences, to ensure that they are always providing content that is relevant and engaging for their viewers.

However, it is generally agreed that most YouTube videos are of a greater duration than a few minutes, right? Watching a YouTube video in other words, can often be seen as a commitment- at least when compared to viewing something like a quick gif or, say, a Tik Tok video. You're likely going to be watching for at least a few minutes on YouTube.

Some newer alternatives to YouTube that are not as focused on lengthy or even complete video content have taken the social media components of YouTube, though (as well as, it could be argued, the general idea behind a free video-sharing platform), in order to create gigantic databases of shorter media content: gifs, memes, and things like that.

When I think of social media sites that are hotbeds of gif and meme culture, the first thing that comes to mind is 9GAG. 9GAG is not primarily a social media site; nor is it primarily a video/gif sharing site. In the most basic terms, 9GAG is a hybrid site, bringing together aspects of social media and the ability to share user-created content. It just so happens that the majority of the content that is shared on 9GAG falls under the umbrella of 'meme' or 'gif' culture. 9GAG is a newer content hosting/social media platform that has quickly picked up steam.

History

9GAG was founded in 2009 and 2010 by a group of five people from Hong Kong: Ray Chan, Chris Chan, Derek Chan, Marco Fung, and Brian Yu. Their shared vision was to create an online platform where people could share humorous pics and videos. The name 9GAG remains a mystery. In a 2012 interview, CEO Ryan Chan declined to explain its origins. However, it is possible that the company's current attitude towards its users is due to the word gag, which is often used as a joke or a shtick. This is likely the case because the founders of 9GAG originally used it as a resume builder during their time in the 500 startups accelerator program, and they have since shifted their focus to more serious projects this summer.

After completing their summer program, the 9GAG team was welcomed into Y Combinator's incubator. This is where 9GAG's userbase soared to 70 million unique monthly visitors around the globe. It became abundantly clear that this little joke site was where their fortunes were hidden. So, they abandoned all other projects and worked on 9GAG full-time. They were very nice about it, too, granting 500 Startups a portion of equity for their aid and mentorship.

In July of 2012, 9GAG raised an impressive $2.8 million from Silicon Valley investors. The following month, they were able to match that amount from venture capitalists. Today, 9GAG operates out of both its Hong Kong and Silicon Valley homes and is one of the most promising sites to keep an eye out for.

Design

If I had to describe the way 9GAG is designed, I would say that it looks something like a cross between YouTube, Reddit, and Instagram. Honestly, these are not bad sites at all for 9GAG to be in the company with, design-wise. I mean, I have my gripes with YouTube's design, but it is at the very least familiar; which makes navigating 9GAG, too, a familiar and intuitive experience. That being said, just for the record (though there's no harm in saying it), I do think that 9GAG's design is slightly better than YouTube's – it is much more user-friendly, I think and has a more intuitive layout. This is where Instagram's influence comes into play. The main page of 9GAG is similar to that of Instagram- a constant feed of picture, short video, and gif content shared by other users. Below each post, you can comment and "like." To the left, you are able to browse the site by Hot, Trending, Fresh, or by category (Funny, Animals, Anime, Cosplay, Gaming, etc.).

It reminds me of Reddit, in the sense that users can upvote or downvote any post they see. Doing so, of course, affects that post's visibility. So, similarly to Reddit, 9GAG uses a sort of democratized voting system in order to decide which content deserves the most visibility on the site.

Content

As I have mentioned before, 9GAG is not the type of site that is designed for those who are looking for in-depth long form video content. However, if you enjoy memes, gifs and short funny videos, 9GAG is definitely the site for you. There is an overall trend on 9GAG which skews towards demographics that enjoy things like anime and manga, cosplay, and gaming. This is something that I think is important to note because each website has its own sort of culture. Gaming, anime and humor are the main ingredients of what makes 9GAG so enjoyable.

Mobile and Desktop Experience

I believe that the experience of using the site is very intuitive and organized. I did not have any real complaints when accessing the site on my laptop. The only thing that I did not like was an unmarked, constantly refreshing feed of content to the right of the main feed. I found it distracting and unprofessional-looking, but maybe that is just me. The app, too, provides an excellent user experience. Perhaps even better than that of the desktop browser site, to be honest. It looks much more like a legitimate social media outlet, the app does. I can?t quite put my finger on why, but it has a more professional air about it. The layout of the app almost resembles that of a news app - that is probably where I am picking up on that professional vibe from. Either way, in my opinion, the app provides a superior experience. And other users seem to agree - 9GAG has an average rating of 4.5 stars (out of 5) on the Apple App Store.

Pricing and Plans

Is 9GAG free to sign up for and use? Yes, it is absolutely free to sign up for and use. There are still ads on the site, but they are just part of the cost of using 9GAG.

Suggestions that I have for 9GAG

I would like the in-browser website to take after the 9GAG app in terms of its clean, streamlined look. I really enjoy the intuitive design of the app and I hope that the website itself can provide a similar experience. Other than that, 9GAG does a great job at what it does and I think it would be nice to have a paid subscription service that eliminates ads.

Conclusion

If you find that you come to the internet most often for laughter, 9GAG is probably the site that you should check out. Why not give it a try, what do you have to lose?