On one level, the Gif, or graphics interchange format, is a mere file suffix, such as .jpg or .doc. The images are grainy and limited to 256 colours. But what began as a compression technique to make image files smaller has become a means of expression for millions of people.
Every second of every day, people use engines such as Tenor and Giphy to search for animated Gifs – usually of reactions by celebrities – that perfectly match their mood. These search engines have become both a barometer of public emotion and a window into a person's feelings. That kind of information has great value these days. Facebook, when it bought Giphy last week, put a price on it: $400 million (Dh1.5 billion).
The rise of Gif has been unusual. It was invented by a team at Compuserve – one of the first US internet service providers – in 1987, two years before the birth of the World Wide Web. Reducing the file size of images was crucial in the days of grindingly slow modems, and in the web’s infancy they were used liberally (some might say grotesquely) to liven up otherwise dull pages of text. Gifs soon gained the ability to animate and loop, but their basic format has not changed for decades.
Their function, however, has.
The knack of these images in grabbing the eye made them the perfect advertising format; Gif banner adverts were used in billions during the dotcom boom. More sophisticated, shinier animation formats such as Flash would eventually make Gifs look old hat, but the dawn of social media and websites such as Reddit and Tumblr gave them a new lease of life. Images of American actors Orson Welles clapping earnestly and Leonardo DiCaprio raising a glass would become part of the web lexicon (describing sarcastic appreciation and ironic celebration, respectively). In a few animated frames of pop culture, Gifs could say things that were too tedious to describe in words.
"When you think of the whole history of how human beings communicate with each other, it's face-to-face," Alex Magnin, Giphy's head of revenue, told marketing publication AdAge. "[What this] is about is human desire to make your communication richer, more visually expressive, more nuanced."
The company's creator, Alex Chung, realised in 2013 that people were searching for a Gif, coming back to a messaging app and pasting it in. Giphy and its competitors became repositories for those files, and access was incorporated directly by the way of custom keyboards. As a result, Gif's popularity surged. Magnin puts the number of searches on his company's platform at more than a billion per day. These searches are not for things, or facts, but emotion and affect.
[What this] is about is human desire to make your communication richer, more visually expressive, more nuanced
Kate Miltner, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, has had a long-standing interest in Gif culture. Her 2015 project about a Gif keyboard designed for the TV show RuPaul's Drag Race made it clear to her how valuable the associated data was. "One of the key goals from the app was to collect user data – specifically, how many conversations were happening, what content was being used the most frequently and by whom," she says.
Giphy will be now doing that data gathering across many platforms. From the teenage obsessions of TikTok to the corporate communications of Slack, any Gif searches will now route back to Facebook. It provides the Silicon Valley giant not only with crucial data, but also a means to serve advertising. Companies such as Nestle, Nissan and KFC pay to promote branded Gifs ahead of the rest of the pack. "Take search data plus behavioural data to help serve users the Gif that fits their particular emotion, and voila – people are now using your [subtly] branded content to express their own emotions," says Miltner. We are effectively advertising to each other.
The Gif will retain its decades-old capacity to delight and amuse
It is little wonder then why Google (which bought Tenor in 2018) and Facebook are keen to become custodians of Gif. Facebook is looking forward to making "your everyday conversations more fun", it says. That is undoubtedly true; the Gif will retain its decades-old capacity to delight and amuse. But its new role in the social media ecosystem represents, says Miltner, a "multi-level commodification of emotional expression, on the most intimate level".
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
The biog
Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
