Salon.com > gif http://www.salon.com Thu, 23 May 2013 13:15:38 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Oxford American Dictionary names “GIF” word of the year http://www.salon.com/2012/11/12/oxford_american_dictionary_names_gif_word_of_the_year/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/12/oxford_american_dictionary_names_gif_word_of_the_year/#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:38:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13070571 Internet culture gets its proper due in journalism today, as "GIF" has beat out "YOLO" as the Oxford American Dictionary's word of the year. “GIF celebrated a lexical milestone in 2012, gaining traction as a verb, not just a noun,” said Katherine Martin, head of the U.S. dictionaries program at Oxford. “The GIF has evolved from a medium for pop-cultural memes into a tool with serious applications including research and journalism, and its lexical identity is transforming to keep pace.”

Martin is probably referring to a new form of political coverage, storytelling and event highlights -- none of which would have been possible without animated GIFs.

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