Gen Zers have long been thought of as visual learners, but their recent communication habits have seen this tendency manifest in new ways. From personalised emojis to selfie petitions, people are leaning into visual methods of expressing themselves more, proving that for today’s users, a picture might actually be worth a thousand words.

The first-ever Giphy Film Fest has challenged people to see GIFs as visual art rather than just a punchline to a joke. And with GIFs usefulness extending past that of a meme, advertisers are harnessing the power of the visual medium, as people increasingly want more engaging content formats.

Dictionary.com has added definitions for emojis, complete with examples of usage, highlighting just how much technology has changed our relationship to language. But as emojis get the okay for official use, people are closely scrutinising the ways that brands harness them.

A new development in AR for online communication, the Animoji uses facial-mapping software to allow users to control a customised avatar of a human, animal or ghost’s face on their iPhone X. But is this just another frivolous fad or does the popularity of animated avatars signal their important social role in online interaction?