Why is everyone making GIFs of themselves?

Our most sacred and special task as human beings is to document our own existence with a single-minded dedication. That’s why we have massive iCloud photo libraries, 15GB of video of that really cool Springsteen concert on our phones, Instagram accounts for ourselves, our pets, and our alter egos, and dusty yearbooks stacked up in our closets. The latest in this personal digital archive: personal GIFs. Apps like Boomerang, Motion Stills, Giphy, DSCO, and more help us make GIFs and other short, looping videos of life’s most precious moments. And of course, of life’s most ‘grammable sammies.

The Verge tech reporter and gadget blog queen Ashley Carman joined me (your friendly Chris Plante stand-in) in the single-stall What’s Tech recording booth this week to compare sweat mustaches and GIF-creation techniques. We had a nice conversation about art, technology, ourselves, and the utility of acronyms. If you tune in, you’ll also learn a little something about the future of keepsakes! It’s a good, emotional time.

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