
You know what .gifs are. They’re the internet equivalent of doodles, little tidbits that get passed around in emails and instant messages and even judged in bizarrely entertaining tournaments. You can dismiss them as “Those stupid five-second clips of animals pooping or whatever,” or you could, as PBS has done, call them an emerging new medium. Either way, you’ve got to answer one simple question: How the fuck do you say .gif out loud?

George: Gif.
Not jiff or gyfe?
Nope.
Do you know what a .gif is?
Nope.
Do you own a computer?
No.

Diangelo: Geef.
What do you use your computer for?
Everything from blogging to my website to reaching out to clients. Shopping. Everything.
What kinds of clients?
I’m a makeup artist, so I have clients in fashion television.
Have you ever seen a looped moving image on the internet?
Yes.
So you’re familiar with a “geef” then?
I guess I would be.

Louis: Jeef.
Do you own a computer?
I do not.
Any particular reason?
Yes, but I’m not going to answer that question.
Are you avoiding some ex who’s stalking you?
No, just… I live in the society but I’m not part of the society. That’s how I feel.

Ana: Gif.
Do you know what a gif is?
Fairly. I don’t know how to set one up myself, but I'm familiar.

Ricardo: Pronounce that word? Isn’t that part of a computer thing?
It’s a file extension. But how would you say it out loud?
Dot gee eye eff.

Tim: Gif.
Do you own a computer?
I do.
And you use it?
Yeah, I guess you could say that.
So you know what a .gif is?
I have no clue. Oh, it’s an image file, right?

Phillip: Well, it’s meant to be jiff, right? But lately they do it with a hard g.
So it’d be gif?
Commonly, I guess. You could get away with either.
Both are acceptable?
I try not to have conversations in real life about it. Can that be my answer? I try not to have real-life conversations about that format.

Steve: Jiff.
Like the peanut butter?
Yes.
Why are you painted orange?
It’s for Affects Strategies [a company, evidently]. I’m pretty much just painting myself up on this beautiful day and trying to get attention.
So you’re trying to get a job? That’s what this is about?
Yeah, I’m gonna have “Eye of the Tiger” in the background. I’m gonna add some comedic value to it. I’m not really taking it seriously, but I figure it’s better playing it dangerously than playing it safe, because you’re not gonna get noticed otherwise.
If you’re making a video, why not make a .gif?
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