Let me start off by saying that I am in no way a relationship expert. My love life is basically limited to living vicariously through my friends' romantic endeavors, and I'm fine with that. Sure, Valentine's Day will consist of dinner and a movie by myself (and some Ben and Jerry's), but I can live with that.

I never considered dating apps until my first semester of college when they suddenly seemed to be insanely popular. I downloaded Tinder on a whim, mostly out of boredom. I played around with it for a few hours, and then the app sat in its hidden folder for a month until I came home for break.

Boredom turned to curiosity and, with the help of some overeager friends, I was suddenly overwhelmed with matches.

Truth be told, I never intended on going out with any of the guys. I made that clear in my profile, too. I was on the app "to kill time." When Tinder introduced the new GIF keyboard, I decided to make use of it. When life gives you lemons, use them to start conversations with random boys on a dating app, right?

So, I started my own social experiment. How would boys react to moving pictures instead of cheesy pick-up lines? Would I find true love in time for Valentine's Day? (Spoiler alert: I did not.)

The reactions were, unsurprisingly, mixed. I messaged boys that I had matched with recently and a few weeks ago, all of whom I had never talked to before. About half of them didn't respond to the GIF, which was a little disappointing. The ones who did, though, took a variety of approaches.

Some of the boys went along with it, making use of their own GIFs. Those were fun until it got to the point where I wasn't sure if we should try talking normally or accept the fact that our wedding invitations would have to be E-vites.

There were the guys who gave off that we-met-at-an-aquarium-not-Tinder vibe and seemed to think my GIF communication was just so darn spontaneous. I would agree, if Tinder hadn't broadcasted the new feature to me four times and then stuck the new keyboard right on the old one.

Do I think GIFs are the new secret weapon of cyber dating? Not entirely. I do think, though, that they offer a fun way to start a conversation with a stranger, especially when their bio is limited to their height and fraternity letters.

The new way of chatting also helped me to finally dive into Tinder without the aid of several friends, and I was surprised with the overall results. I think the app has a worse reputation than it deserves. For the most part, the guys I talked to were super nice.

There were a few who brought up hooking up and quickly turned the conversation into an omitted chapter of "Fifty Shades of Grey." It happens.

The GIFs add to the quirky experience of online dating, but they can't substitute a real conversation. You can only convey so much through moving pictures. Of course, as with any new thing, some people just don't get it.

I don't think I'll be relying on GIFs or Tinder to see me through this February 14th. I'll be just fine with a "New Girl" marathon and a generous amount of ice cream.