So, Where Did GIFs Come From Anyway?
By: Meredith Blakely
The increasingly popular digital “GIFs,” no, not the peanut butter brand. Those animated images we all know and love, where exactly did they come from? Surprisingly, these images have been describing exactly how we feel in any given moment since 1987! Steve Wilhite of CompuServe, a software company, created and published the first GIF format in 1987 and last updated it in 1989. To put that into perspective, the GIF was created four years before the creation and publication of the World Wide Web. Pretty hard to believe, right?
What are GIFs?
GIF stands for “Graphics Interchange Format.” It was named after the exchanging of images between computers. GIFs are able to hold multiple pictures at once and work as a flipbook, because of the way they are decoded. They are convenient and even available on slower modems, because it was created using black and white image transfers with 256 colors. The GIF was able to use the Graphics Control Extension in order to achieve the animation effect via timed delays. It was created to display an image but to simultaneously save memory. They wanted to invent a way to share a color image file in a way that would not take up too much of a given computer’s memory. Thus, the GIF was born.
GIF Controversy!
It wasn’t always smooth sailing for this lighthearted way of sharing emotions and communicating. When the GIF was created by CompuServe, the compression technique Wilhite used was previously patented by Unisys in 1985, just two years before he had published his version. This tension led to a copyright disagreement that was eventually sorted out in 1994. Unisys agreed to enable their format to be licensed in exchange for a small fee. Due to the expense it would cost developers to use the GIF, many turned to the PNG format that was created in 1996, which was similar but patent-free and a single image. Who would have known there was a 9 year long legal battle over an animated digital consumers use on a daily basis!
GIF or JIF?
Along with arguments over patents, the correct pronunciation of “GIF” has been a debate since its conception. While most prefer to pronounce the word phonetically using the hard “g,” it was actually intended to be pronounced with a soft “g.” Wilhite explained the reasoning for this as being a play on the peanut butter ad and said, “choosy developers choose GIF.” Even with the author of this format explaining the right pronunciation, it is not good enough for some. This will likely be a discussion with seemingly no solution for years to come. Whether you pronounce it the correct way or not, how do you use it?
How Is A GIF Used?
GIFs have been used by many in email, social media, websites and even blog posts, such as this one. They allow web developers and users to show logos, line art and charts in a creative and visual way. Some GIFs can have transparent backgrounds that blend into the existing webpage, for an aesthetically pleasing look. The format also allows for an easy integrated into conversation, due to the extensive number of existing GIFs. Almost any conversation can include a GIF as a form of expression. Websites have even been created where users are able to make their own GIFs. They are mainly used as a way to communicate with others and to express feelings. Many GIFs are used to showcase emotions or reactions to conversations, memes or posts.
GIFs Today
These quirky images have been around for quite awhile, however they are just now gaining popularity. This could be because they are an effective way to communicate jokes, emotions and ideas. Also, the GIF keyboard that is available on most cellphone’s keyboards and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook Messenger makes it even more accessible for the everyday digital user. They are extremely popular today and are integrated into the digital language as a way of communicating. GIFs are used as an easy and fun way to visually communicate with one another on a digital channel.
