Instagram and Snapchat shut down GIF feature after racist GIFs found

Mar 13, 2018

GIFs have become a method of communication in themselves – so when Instagram rolled out a GIF feature to accessorise our Insta Stories, we were pretty delighted.

For weeks we punctuated our night out snaps and selfies with animated emblems, but in recent days, Instagram users have complained that the GIF action no longer works on their phones.

Tech giants Instagram and Snapchat have both yanked their GIF action off the platforms after users pointed out that some of the GIFs being hosted on the social media sites were racist and degrading.

I NEED ANSWERS @instagram ?! Why, would you EVER, disable the GIF feature on Instagram stories??? That was singlehandedly the best thing you’ve ever done, the ONLY thing that has redeemed you since screwing up the algorithm! I DELETED SNAPCHAT FOR YOU! WTF IS THIS!!!

— google (@hiitaylorblake) March 12, 2018

The platforms were using integrated GIFs from GIF website Giphy.

The racist GIF which caused offence portrayed a 'n***** death counter' alongside disturbing imagery of a game show host encouraging the number to increase.

The vile GIF caused the action to be removed from the sites until a review can be undertaken.

@ instagram where’s my gif option

— Lawrence (@lwrnctnpy) March 11, 2018

In a statement to Tech Crunch, Giphy said:

'A user discovered an offensive GIF sticker in our library, and we immediately removed it per our content guidelines.'

'After investigation of the incident, this sticker was available due to a bug in our content moderation filters specifically affecting GIF stickers. We have fixed the bug and have re-moderated all of the GIF stickers in our library.'

'The GIPHY staff is also further reviewing every GIF sticker by hand and should be finished shortly.'

'We take full responsibility for these recent events and sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended.'

There's no word yet on when exactly the GIF feature will be back up and running – here's to hoping it's soon but without the offensive content pl,ease and thanks.

10 years of The Devil Wears Prada – Here are 15 of the film’s BEST bits

News

Jun 30, 2016

by Amber Saunders

Today marks The Devil Wears Prada’s 10^th birthday and as much as that makes us feel crazy old, it does give us the perfect excuse to relive the movie’s best bits.

From Miranda's cutting looks to Emily's epic one liners, we've compiled 15 of the most relatable moments from the film that made every girl want to work in fashion.

Ladies, how many of these sound familiar?

1. When your friend says they're on a diet.

2. When you've let yourself down.

3. As soon as anyone rejects your invite.

4. Every time we've to wait in line for coffee.

5. When word the boss is coming hits the office.

6. When you're wearing a new outfit no one will notice you sneeze.

7. What is it about answering the phone that turns our brains to mush?

8. What you hear in your mind before making a suggestion at work.

9. You can't say that!

10. When your boyfriend talks about FIFA.

11. "I'm sexy and I know it."

12. Every little helps?

13. When you're trying to get the crew to go out but they're having none of you.

14. When you get a flashback from the night before.

15. Squad on fleek.

YES! You’re going to LOVE the latest feature that’s coming to Whatsapp

Lifestyle

Jun 10, 2016

by Amber Saunders

If you work in an office, you probably send a lot of GIFS to your co-workers throughout the day.

If you have a big group of friends, you probably send a lot of GIFS to each other about your daily ramblings.

If you're still in school, there is no doubt GIFS flying across the air as the teacher tries to tell you something about long division.

We are now living in a world of GIFS – and it's totally our guilty pleasure. We love them.

And now, Whatsapp are finally catching on to our love for moving images as it has just announced that GIFS are coming to the messaging service. Hurrah!

WABetaInfo reports that it'll be really easy to use as well since Whatsapp are just going to auto-play the images and not save them as a video.

GIFS, galore!

Fan of the odd GIF? This new app is going to change the way you text

Entertainment

May 3, 2016

by Amber Saunders

It's safe to say that GIFs have taken on a life of their own.

The Internet LOVES them and nearly every Whatsapp conversation with the girls has the odd GIF thrown in, too.

GIPHY has been the prominent website to find the exact snap you're looking for, but now it's gone one further by creating an app that will let you communicate solely via GIFs. Yes!

Just like the emoji keyboard, they GIPHY keyboard will work the same way and will also allow you to share your desired GIF on every platform; texts, Facebook messenger, iMessage, Whatsapp, email and more.

It also has loads of cool features, like the #8BALL, which will generate an answer in GIF form to any yes-or-no question you type in.

We think we might ONLY use this while communicating from now on.

ALL the pugs! You can now make GIFs from your OWN phone videos

Nov 29, 2015

by Amber Saunders

We all know GIFs are great. They let you get across a whole range of emotions with a single sad-looking pug.

But sometimes the range of animated images available on the Internet doesn't quite satisfy your needs, right? And that's where Giphy Cam comes in handy.

Giphy Cam is a new app that allows you to take a short video and then turn it into a GIF.

And it even has a feature for adding in your own captions, which, you know, will give your GIF ten times more personality (because you're gas).

You can also edit them for length, play around with silly colours, effects and more and then share the finished masterpiece with your friends.

6 things we’re appreciating this January

Uncategorized

Jan 8, 2015

by Amber Saunders

January is a loooong month. Maybe not technically…but it sure feels like it, doesn’t it?! So, instead of listing all of the things we can’t wait to see the back of in February, like dark mornings and Christmas weight, we looked at some of the things we'll miss from January!

1. Hot water bottles
The season of hot water bottle is almost coming to an end, so snuggle up and enjoy while you can!

2. Starbucks winter flavours
The red cups will soon be a thing of the past so it’s time to grab that double chocolate peppermint mocha hot chocolate with whipped cream before they disappear till next year!

3. Winter coats
Soon we’ll have to go shopping for a light jacket for spring time and that fur-trimmed hood will be packed away until October, sob!

4. Christmas jumpers
Some may argue the Christmas jumper season is well over, but we reckon as long as it doesn’t have Rudolph on the front it’s fair game for another few weeks.

5. Cadbury’s Roses and other Christmas-time treats
It’s that time of the year when everyone clears the junk food out of their homes…and into their offices. So, yes. We are still eating Roses if you must know.

6. Being organised
The New Year makes us organise our lives perfectly (until February). Armed with new diaries and fresh pens, we feel we can take over the world, one list at a time.