You Can’t Post Gifs On Snapchat And Instagram Anymore Because Of This Racist N Word Gif

Could this be the end of the happy relationship between Giphy, Snapchat and Instagram?

Instagram

by Phoebe Parke |
Published on

Remember how excited we were when Instagram introduced gifs to stories?

If you follow us on Instagram you will have noticed that we use this feature every single day – posting jumping hearts, wobbling houseplants or (a personal favourite) an animated Kim K crying face.

Now, the feature has been disabled on Instagram and Snapchat after users discovered a racist gif that reads ‘N***** Crime Death Counter – Keep Cranking Bonzo, the Numbers Just Keep on Climbing!’

Racist gif on a Snapchat story
©Credit: TechCrunch

The gif feature is embedded in the Snapchat and Instagram apps, but the content is provided by Giphy – a site which houses gifs and animated stickers.

As users were looking for gifs to add to their snaps and Instagram stories, they came across the gif when searching ‘crime’, according to TechCrunch.

Snapchat and Instagram have removed feature and an Instagram spokesperson told TechCrunch: ‘This type of content has no place on Instagram. We have stopped our integration with Giphy as they investigate the issue.’

Snapchat have released an official statement along similar lines, which reads: ‘We have removed GIPHY from our application until we can be assured that this will never happen again.’

Instagram’s spokesperson is right, this type of content has no place on Instagram, or anywhere for that matter. The first gif was created by software developer CompuServe in 1987, according to The Daily Dot’s history of the GIF, so sometime between 1987 and 2018 someone created this gif, uploaded it to Giphy and Giphy didn’t even realise or take it down.

READ MORE: Inspirational Instagram Accounts You Should Follow

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Inspirational Instagram Accounts You Should Follow

Women in comics1 of 24

Women In Comics

Illustrating inspirational images and depicting women in comic form, this account will brighten up your timeline with some home truths in the form of pretty pictures.

Adwoa Aboah2 of 24

Adwoa Aboah

This insanely beautiful model founded GURLS TALK, an online community where women from all backgrounds can share their personal experiences in a safe space.

Alicia Garza3 of 24

Alicia Garza

Alicia is an editor and activist who co-created #BlackLivesMatter. Her feed is a mixture of relatable memes, unfiltered selfies and educational posts to keep you woke.

Amandla Stenberg4 of 24

Amandla Stenberg

You might recognise this actor from The Hunger Games, when she played the character only character we cried endless tears for, Rue. Now, while still acting, she's a full-fledged activist posting about everything gender, feminism and black culture.

Amani5 of 24

MuslimGirl/Amani

Amani created the fast-growing activism account @MuslimGirl, another one you should definitely follow. She has spoken across the world about Muslim women and posts everything from badass selfies to stats you need to know.

Amber Amour6 of 24

Amber Amour

Amber created @CreatingConsentCulture which aims to educate people on rape culture and support rape and sexual assault survivors. She's also outspoken about racism and sex work, her feed will be endless many dinner party talking points.

Amber Rose7 of 24

Amber Rose

You may only know Amber Rose as Kanye's ex, but think again. Amber is a sex positivity icon, with her own pocast 'Loveline with Amber Rose' up until 2018 that aimed to promote healthy sexual relationships and self-love. If you can get past the fact she advertised flat tummy tea once (fgs Amber), you'll love her feminism-filled feed.

Beverly Bond8 of 24

Beverly Bond

Author of 'Black Girls Rock', Beverly's posts will have you both inspired and enraged, filled with commentary on everyday injustices.

Bree Newsome9 of 24

Bree Newsome

You may recognise Bree as the activist who took down the confederate flag from a flagpole outside the South Carolina Capitol building. She's continuing her activism with inspiring art you need to see.

Cameron Russell10 of 24

Cameron Russell

An american model who called out the fashion industry for sexual harassment and assault, she started the #MyJobShouldNotIncludeAbuse hashtag. Her instagram is full of inspiring stories and educational videos exposing different injustices within her industry and beyond.

Iskra Lawrence11 of 24

Iskra Lawrence

If your not already following Iskra, your living under an Instagram rock. The body positive model started her own business, everyBODY with Iskra, to give health and fitness advice beyond just getting super skinny. You need her body posi vibes in your life.

Jessamyn12 of 24

Jessamyn

Another super body positive account to follow, Jessamyn is a yoga teacher regularly posting about the emotional and physical benefits of body positivity and practicing yoga.

Joanna Thangiah13 of 24

Joanna Thangiah

Shun your timeline of filtered selfies and over exposed holiday destinations. It's time for some feminist, mental health aware art! This account is amazing for cute cartoons that say everything we're already feeling.

Judy Reyes14 of 24

Judy Reyes

You'll probably remember Judy as Carla from Scrubs, or one of the other thousand TV show she's been in throughout her insanely successful career. Unlike most Hollywood actors, her Insta is full of activism and news you need to know.

Logan Browning15 of 24

Logan Browning

Activist and actor, Logan Browning is the lead of Netflix hit Dear White People. Posting powerful content and links to charities you can donate to so you can turn your online activism into action- she's a force to be reckoned with.

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Makers Women

MAKERS is a storytelling platform for women, posting quotes to keep you inspired throughout the day. Stay up to date with gender injustice, while also feeling hopeful with the powerful words these amazing women have to say.

Nimisha Bhanot17 of 24

Nimisha Bhanot

Another artist you need to follow, Nimisha creates amazing prints (which you can buy) critiquing societal perceptions of South Asian women. She's based in Canada, but these prints can brighten up your timeline anywhere.

Muslim Girl18 of 24

Muslim Girl

Muslim Girl, where 'muslim women talk back' is an account ran by Amani. Advocating for issues facing muslim women, both accounts are an inspiration and necessity on your feed.

Project Consent19 of 24

Project Consent

There's no time like the present to be educating people on consent. This account does exactly that, and gives you the perfect explanations, comebacks and reminders to throw out at a dinner party if the issue comes up.

Rowan Blanchard20 of 24

Rowan Blanchard

Gone are the days of Disney stars going off the rails, this actor and activist is a beacon of positivity- especially online. Fighting gender and race injustice and beyond, she's one to watch.

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Rupi Kaur

Rupi made headlines in 2015 when she posted pictures of her on Instagram with visible menstrual blood. Her posts were blocked by Instagram, causing backlash against the social media platform. She continues to break boundaries with her writing and poetry.

Sophie King22 of 24

Sophie King

This UK based embroidery artist is an up-and-coming star, embroidering feminist slogans onto everything from bras to roses. Bring her insta to life with her slogan t-shirts, or just stare at the pretty pictures, either way she's someone you should follow.

Vulva Gallery23 of 24

The Vulva Gallery

Our favourite of all the accounts, the vulva gallery promotes self-love in an area SO often ignored. With two-thirds of women avoiding smear tests, life-saving procedures, because of the look of their vagina, it's time we stopped all of the self-loathing around genitals. Providing a regular reminder that all vaginas are beautiful, if you only follow one account of this list, it should be this one.

Trash Is For Tossers24 of 24

Trash Is For Tossers

Lauren Singer lives an entirely waste-free life. Yes, you can actually do that. As #plasticfree takes over our news feed, it's time you had some daily advice on how exactly to reduce your waste. Save the planet!

Tech has a very bad reputation when it comes to racism – a Google image program labelled some black faces as gorillas, FaceApp allows you to make yourself ‘more attractive’ with a filter that lightens your skin, and some soap dispensers reportedly don’t work for black people.

But I think it’s naïve to blame the technology itself, or say that ‘some things slip through the net’ robots learn from existing data and behaviours, it’s about time we admitted that tech is just reflecting our own racism back to us.

Follow Phoebe on Twitter @PhoebeParke

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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.

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