WebP

About

WebP is an image file format developed by Google that supports lossy and lossless compression, animation and alpha transparency while yielding smaller file sizes compared to JPEG, PNG and GIF file formats. Due to the increasing spread of the file format online combined with the lack of support for the format by image editing and messaging software, starting in 2020, the format has been a subject of memes in which many users express a strong dislike for it.

Origin

WebP was first announced by Google on September 30th, 2010, as a new open image format able to produce files smaller than JPEG for comparable image quality. In October 2011, the format was updated to support animation and other features. Version 1.0 of the supporting library was released in April 2018.^[1]

The WebP file format is extensively used online, allowing to decrease storage and bandwidth use. Compared to JPEG, WEBP files are between 25 and 35 percent smaller in size (comparison table shown below),^[2] with the format also supporting transparency (similar to PNG) and animation (similar to GIF).

Spread

Starting in 2020, as the format became adopted by an increasing number of websites, it became a subject of online complaints, mainly due to image editing and messaging software not supporting the format. For example, on August 3rd, 2020, Twitter user @PuppetCombo tweeted,^[3] ".webp is the antichrist," with the tweet gaining over 30 retweets and 370 likes in two years (shown below, left). On September 3rd, 2020, Twitter^[4] user @FoldableHuman tweeted a complaint about the format, with the tweet gaining 20 retweets and over 270 likes in two years (shown below, center). On March 11th, content creator @UltimaShadowX made a tweet^[5] that gained over 1,100 retweets and 9,300 likes in one year (shown below, right).

On February 1st, 2021, Twitter^[6] user @el_rtv made the earliest found viral meme about the format, an I Wish All X a Very Y meme that gained over 5,000 retweets and 26,500 likes in one year (shown below, left). Prior to May 1st, 2021, Instagram page @pcmag made a now-deleted Always Sunny Plate Toss meme about the format that was widely circulated in the following weeks (shown below, right). A repost by Facebook^[7] page Digital Synopsis gained over 1,100 reactions and 230 shares.

More viral memes and posts complaining about the format were made in 2021 and 2022. For example, on April 20th, 2022, Twitter^[8] user @jeffzwarren posted a video caption meme that received over 18,200 retweets and 96,000 likes in two days (shown below).

pic.twitter.com/FwhoMub2Jv

— jeffzwarren (@jeffzwarren) April 21, 2022

The tweet sparked a viral social media debate about the benefits and disadvantages of the format in the following days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References