Gif's enduring popularity has also been helped by the fact it supports animations, making it easy for people to embed short clips into blogs, and copy and paste jokey looping video - such as odd actions by the actor James Van Der Beek - into discussion forums.

BBC: Webby Awards

Their jokey attempt to lampoon campus conservatives at Tehran's Amir Kabir University misfired, and is now being widely condemned for ridiculing the faith.

ECONOMIST: Iran