The man who produced millions of memes with his invention in 1987 of the humble GIF has passed away. Steve Welheit, whose graphics sharing format helped personalize the internet, lost a two-week battle with Covid-19 earlier this month, his wife told NPR. He was 74 years old.
The computer scientist team at CompuServe developed the GIF in 1987, years before the format became a defining feature of the early web, and later became the go-to for sharing jokes, memes, and reactions on social media. He received the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, using the occasion to settle a long-running humorous debate about the correct pronunciation of the acronym. He said it’s pronounced “jif” – using GIF.
GIF’s ability to repeat short animations made it a popular tool for creating dynamic elements in early web design. MySpace and Tumblr, two of the leading social media services, are defined by their use of GIFs, and the Giphy web service launched in 2013 to help people find cool and entertaining GIFs.
Thirty-five years after its invention, and several generations of graphics and animation formats later, GIF is still a popular and beloved mainstay of the web. Social networks such as Twitter and Telegram have integrated GIF search engines, which are populated with snippets of highlight moments and videos.
“Even with all his accomplishments, he remained very humble, kind, and a good man,” reads the Welheit obituary.
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