Reading Response 1- Caleb Haydock

                      After reading this week’s articles, I began to question the purpose of the GIF.  I mean how can a full story be told in a matter of seconds?  However, after I really contemplated the meaning of this media art form, I came to the conclusion that GIFs are actually very important.  They have especially become important with the way younger generations are increasingly becoming tied to technology.  Each GIF does tell a story, just different kinds of stories.  The physical make up of a GIF allows an emphasis on motion and color to establish a new way of expression.  McKay brought up an interesting idea when she talked about the affects art forms like GIFs bring out. McKay’s idea began to have me searching through the internet, searching for GIFs and then seeing how they made me felt.  After only 5 minutes of shifting through the web I notice myself entertained and mindfully smiling.    

                    GIFs, in my opinion, are popular because they are quick snippets taking us inside the producer’s creative psyche. Collectively, we tend to gravitate to new, refreshing, and witty ideas that have similar affects to that of a Haiku or the end of a movie.  We love seeing things that have an ah-ha moment and give us a split second of understanding.  In a word GIFs are a way to communicate different perspective of looking at things.  Aside from the affect GIFs have, Troemel explained how digital media has made art, more specifically digital art, a more collaborative process, blurring the lines between the producer and the consumer.  I think Troemel was suggesting that digital art has made the two roles almost interchangeable.  The internet has made it so that anyone can produce art, movies, music, etc. and make it visible to the world.  What the GIF does is make the structure so small and simple that it further promotes a creative atmosphere amongst anyone who has a keyboard and mouse.