Rachel Kurzius
Image courtesy of U.S. National Archives, via Giphy.
When trying to express oneself on the internet, mere punctuation won’t do—a person requires a GIF as a shorthand for true emotion.
To that end, The National Archives has released a bevy of the moving graphic images that showcase the agency’s holdings of government and historical records.
We thought it’d be best to provide a guide to some of your 86 new options for sharing how you really feel.
When you want to convey: Ok. (aka the ultimate text message shade)
When you want to convey: Your priorities
When you want to convey: Excitement about a plan
When you want to convey: That someone probably got the facts wrong
When you want to convey: That you’re open to exploring the Southwest
When you want to convey: I contain multitudes
When you want to convey: Befuddlement
When you want to convey: Flirtiness
When you want to convey: Hats off to ya
When you want to convey: Welp, here we go (Note: be careful about using this one)
When you want to convey: Surprise, motherfucker
When you want to convey: I’m breaking up with you
When you want to convey: I dumped him
When you want to convey: An answer to “what’s up?” (if you’re hanging out and eating chocolate)
When you want to convey: An answer to “what’s up?” (if you’re really busy)
When you want to convey: Another great answer to “what’s up?”
When you want to convey: We’re all on the same page
When you want to convey: That something has gotten a bit out of hand
When you want to convey: I’m here, you’re late, and I’m waiting for you
When you want to convey: Actually, I got this
When you want to convey: Dibs
When you want to convey: You’re gonna have to give me some more details
When you want to convey: I’m on board with bells on
When you want to convey: What your Friday night plans are
When you want to convey: Yeah, that hook up wasn’t great
When you want to convey: My work presentation went very well
When you want to convey: Duh
When you want to convey: Great idea!
When you want to convey: That you know your rights
If only the National Archives could shed some light on how our historical forebears would have stood on the debate over the pronunciation of the word “gif.”
