1 hr 3 min
How GIFs Became Embedded in Our Culture Function with Anil Dash
-
- Technology
Ah, the humble animated GIF. We use them on social media or in text messages as a way to signify a reaction, tell a story, or just to have a laugh. Some are even making animated GIFs of entire movies!
It's not all fun and games though — organizations and media companies are cracking down on animated GIF usage, with some going as far as issuing copyright notices against animated GIF creators. Even the IOC, the governing body of the Olympic Games, banned news organizations from creating animated GIFs of sports coverage from the Rio 2016 Summer Games. Are animated GIF creators protected under fair use, or are these organizations not being fair?
This week on Function, we unpack this issue with Kenyatta Cheese and T. Kyle MacMahon. Kenyatta, a long-time Internet historian and co-creator of Know Your Meme, talks about the history of the GIF format and how animated GIFs are a fundamental part of memes and Internet culture as a whole. Later, we talk to T. Kyle about his website RealityTVGIFs, his thoughts on how animated GIFs have influenced modern television, and why these images aren't going away any time soon.
Guests
Kenyatta Cheese
T. Kyle MacMahon
GIFs Referenced in the Episode
Dancing baby
Michael Jackson eating popcorn
Teresa Guidice flipping a table
Angela "Big Ang" Raiola
Tiffany "New York" Pollard
Other Links
GIF on Wikipedia
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), Version 89a, Library of Congress
Lenz v. Universal, Electronic Frontier Foundation
RealityTVGIFs
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ah, the humble animated GIF. We use them on social media or in text messages as a way to signify a reaction, tell a story, or just to have a laugh. Some are even making animated GIFs of entire movies!
It's not all fun and games though — organizations and media companies are cracking down on animated GIF usage, with some going as far as issuing copyright notices against animated GIF creators. Even the IOC, the governing body of the Olympic Games, banned news organizations from creating animated GIFs of sports coverage from the Rio 2016 Summer Games. Are animated GIF creators protected under fair use, or are these organizations not being fair?
This week on Function, we unpack this issue with Kenyatta Cheese and T. Kyle MacMahon. Kenyatta, a long-time Internet historian and co-creator of Know Your Meme, talks about the history of the GIF format and how animated GIFs are a fundamental part of memes and Internet culture as a whole. Later, we talk to T. Kyle about his website RealityTVGIFs, his thoughts on how animated GIFs have influenced modern television, and why these images aren't going away any time soon.
Guests
Kenyatta Cheese
T. Kyle MacMahon
GIFs Referenced in the Episode
Dancing baby
Michael Jackson eating popcorn
Teresa Guidice flipping a table
Angela "Big Ang" Raiola
Tiffany "New York" Pollard
Other Links
GIF on Wikipedia
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), Version 89a, Library of Congress
Lenz v. Universal, Electronic Frontier Foundation
RealityTVGIFs
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 hr 3 min