Who Was Stephen Wilhite? The Creator Of GIFs Who Passed Away Due To COVID

Image Credit: Unsplash and NDTV

Who Was Stephen Wilhite? The Creator Of GIFs Who Passed Away Due To COVID

74-year-old Stephen Wilhite, who played a crucial part in personalising the internet, lost his two-week-long fight against COVID earlier this month, his wife said.

  • Whatsapp
  • Telegram
  • Linkedin
  • Print
  • koo
  • Whatsapp
  • Telegram
  • Linkedin
  • Print
  • koo
  • Whatsapp
  • Telegram
  • Linkedin
  • Print
  • koo

Steve Wilhite, the genius mind that helped in the outspread of millions of memes via his invention of Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) in 1987, has died. Wilhite, who played a crucial part in personalising the internet, lost his two-week-long fight against COVID earlier this month, his wife was quoted as saying by Mint.

The 74-year-old computer scientist's team at CompuServe had designed and developed the GIF in 1987, even years before the format was turned into a signature feature of the early web. Later on, this became a go-to means for exchanging memes, reactions and jokes on social media.

Who Was Steve Wilhite? The Genius That Helped Shape Internet Culture

Wilhite was conferred with a Webby Lifetime Achievement award in 2013, utilising the occasion to recompense a long-running humorous argument regarding the proper pronunciation of the acronym. It is pronounced as 'jif,' he stated — obviously with the use of a GIF.

The ability of the GIFs to keep looping brief animations created a popular tool for making dynamic elements in the earlier web design. Web platforms like Tumblr and MySpace, two of the iconic social media services, were built by their use of GIFs. The web service Giphy kickstarted life in 2013 specifically to assist users in finding amusing and cool GIFs.

GIF- A Game Changer!

Even after thirty-five years after its invention and numerous generations of animation and graphics formats later, the GIF endures as a beloved and popular mainstay of the internet. Top social media platforms like Telegram and Twitter have incorporated GIF search engines, populated with snippets of numerous iconic video clips and moments.

'Even with all his accomplishments, he remained a very humble, kind, and good man,' Wilhite's obituary read.

'RIP Steve Wilhite': A Tribute From Netizens

Post Wilhite's death, several users on Twitter honoured him with GIFs in the most appropriate way possible. The 74-year-old himself had once stated that one of his favourite GIFs was the dancing baby that went viral before the term viral was a thing on the internet.




Also Read: 63 Out Of 100 Most Polluted Cities Are In India; No Indian Cities Clear WHO's Pollution Guideline

Contributors Suggest Correction
Editor : Ankita Singh
,
Creatives : Snehadri Sarkar

Must Reads