No one could have predicted that the lowly animated GIF would have survived to the ripe old age of 32. Despite the rise of many more efficient technologies, the GIF remains stubbornly popular, and continues to thrive on social media as a sociological force. Its ability to convey emotion while leveraging popular culture combined with the popularity (and $150m investment) of sites like GIPHY, have made the animated GIF as influential as the emoji.

In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen run through some of their favorite animated GIFs of all time, and also discuss controversy (e.g. copyright, race) that surrounds the medium.