The #GifHistory Project Hopes to Source the History of Popular GIFs
Justin Lam — February 13, 2018 — Pop Culture
The #GifHistory project is a Twitter based initiative that hopes to find the history of any GIF submitted. The initiative was launched by director and Twitter personality Matthew Cherry, and hopes to track the source of GIFs back to their original videos. Cherry is not using any sort of AI assistance and is instead doing all the research on his own. The #GifHistory project may sound like an aimless endeavor, but it actually provides an interesting examination in the preservation of internet history.
Cherry has already sourced 20 well-used memes, with occasional help from others. The sourced GIFs already done include Rihanna rolling up her window, Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole pointing, JAY-Z nervously dancing and a man pointing at his head. Several other obscure references have also been found, which really serve as a testament to the commitment Cherry has in this task.
Image Credit: Twitter @MatthewACherry
Cherry has already sourced 20 well-used memes, with occasional help from others. The sourced GIFs already done include Rihanna rolling up her window, Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole pointing, JAY-Z nervously dancing and a man pointing at his head. Several other obscure references have also been found, which really serve as a testament to the commitment Cherry has in this task.
Image Credit: Twitter @MatthewACherry
Trend Themes
1. Crowdsourced Internet History - The #GifHistory project highlights the potential for crowd-sourced initiatives to uncover the origins of popular internet content, creating opportunities for collaborative research and preservation of online history.
2. AI-powered Content Tracking - The absence of AI assistance in the #GifHistory project indicates a potential opportunity for the development of artificial intelligence tools that can automate the tracking and sourcing of GIFs and other online content.
3. Internet Culture Preservation - The #GifHistory project sheds light on the need to preserve and document internet culture, opening up opportunities for the creation of online archives and museums dedicated to safeguarding viral content.
Industry Implications
1. Social Media - Social media platforms can explore incorporating features that allow users to track and share the history and origin of popular internet content.
2. Artificial Intelligence - The AI industry can develop innovative tools to automate content tracking and sourcing, making it easier to trace the origins of online content like GIFs.
3. Digital Archives - The establishment of digital archives and museums can provide a platform for preserving and documenting internet culture, ensuring that viral content is not lost in the future.
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