Note: I wrote this post for my webdesign class, but I think GIF stories are an interesting trend. While it doesn't really fall under the purview of language learning, it does have to do with discourse analysis, so I think it's fair game for this blog.
GIFs have been enjoying quite the renaissance on today's web. I've started noticing a trend in telling stories with GIFs interspersed with text. Before I get to far into this concept, I want to share this interesting video in the history of animated GIFs that was released this month by PBS.
This video is so great in describing a brief history of the format and their current usage. I especially like the concept of a "post-modern GIF."
That said, I want to discuss what I'm terming as GIF stories. These are a variant in digital storytelling in which the storyteller uses GIFs to express an emotion or idea that is either not clearly expressed in text, or is expressed better through visual media. I think these stem from this idea that the GIF is relating a feeling in a way that the author cannot convey except in the most florid of prose. Most people on the web, frankly, do not have the writing prowess to commit their thoughts and emotions to the "page" quite so expertly. Thus, by my estimation, are GIF stories born.
GIF stories range from simple explanations of annoyances like getting called in to work on one's day off to a full on explication of one's efforts to reconnect with an ex--and the subsequent renunciation of said ex [NSFW language]. What ultimately drew me to acknowledge the awesome potential of this trend was this GIF story posted in honor of International Women's Day [also NSFW language]. This story leverages a number of pop-culture references as well as pointed text to explain what's wrong with the current political situation in the U.S. regarding women. What is so great about this GIF story is that the GIFs use really do transcend what the author might have expressed in writing and allow the reader to experience different facets of this issue. Yes, absolutely, some of the GIFs are just silly, but several of the GIFs make an excellent visual point that corroborates what the text describes. I think it's a very effective piece and an exemplar of this trend.
