A screensaver is software automatically activated after a PC screen has been inactive for some time and it displays a blank screen or various moving images. The duration after which a screensaver gets automatically activated can be defined by the user. For example, if the user defines 20 minutes as the time duration, the screensaver becomes active when the PC is inactive for 20 minutes.



Screensavers with animations and sounds can be amusing to watch and if they also come with some interesting music makes it even more exciting. Actually, they may even take the user's mind off work, that much fun they can be. Usually, animations are created in Flash, which is a software application, after which they are converted into screensavers. Children best like the screensavers with animations and sounds with their favorite cartoon characters. They mostly love screensavers coming from their favorite movies or TV shows. Screensavers with animations and sounds bring a touch of fun and relaxation to their ambience, especially when users work in more demanding positions.

People working in creative fields, such as advertising and graphic designing and even students in different levels of education tend to choose screensavers with animations and sounds. Advertising specialists and graphic designers are more tempted to choose animated screensavers as their jobs imply communicating exact messages in a short period of time. Therefore, it is no surprise, that animations with messages attract them the most. Sometimes, these also trigger ideas that they can use in their work. Often, they are in challenging situations, and the sight of a zany animation eases the tension, and helps them get back into their assigned work. The same applies to students, especially those in college.

While working on different school assignments the sight of a funny animation on computer screen may be very relaxing, inspiring and entertaining the user. Sharing and exchange of screensavers among students is also an interesting thing. A freshly downloaded screensaver in the dorm, especially an animated one, may attract lots of attention and get the user the “whiz kid” status.

Different types of screensavers are popular among different kinds of users. Nowadays, PC users basically belong to every age-group. It is no longer a surprise that their different interests are being reflected in the screensavers they choose. Most popular themes must also depend on their computers' configuration, especially the memory and the processing speed. The popularity of a screensaver could even depend on the effect it has on users and the people around them.

It is common the case when a colleague in an office sees a screensaver, makes an off-hand but often critical remark about a screensaver being used by someone else, and succeeds in making that person use a different kind of screensaver. Sometimes, it creates the opposite effect though. A colleague notices the screensaver on someone else's computer and asks more about the same one.

Actually, in some instances, someone who is thought to be “cool” decides which screensaver everyone else will use by making his or her preference well known among the group. In a way, the same happens as in the case of phone ring tones. If a person who is considered really “cool” by all group members goes for a particular ring tone, everybody else has to have it. It's just top notch advertising.