Get ready for gossip, Yik Yak is back
Yik Yak is out of the tomb and back in the app store. Yik Yak is a social media platform that was originally released in 2013 that allowed users to anonymously post messages to be displayed to everyone in a 5 mile radius. The app was shut down in 2017, mainly due to cyberbullying and was widely used across the country, reaching the interests of college students everywhere. Users were free to spill whatever came to mind regarding quite literally anything, but largely regarding their schools and universities. The popularity of the app may be attributed towards the “trauma bonding” between students ranting about their college experiences, their unpopular opinions (which often turns out to be a popular one, determined by the upvotes), and the unfortunate bond that led to its downfall deriving from calling out people or groups.
The recent 2021 relaunch of the app has most of the same features as the original, but with a new emphasis on attempting to avoid cyberbullying by advertising the dangers. They highly encourage users to utilize the downvote function on posts that come across as inappropriate, or even to the extreme of reporting posts which could ban the anonymous user from using the app. A downvote and upvote affect a user’s “yakarma” score. A yak that receives a downvote score of -5 is automatically deleted. The company has now released a mental health resource page that features hotlines, mindfulness tips, and more.
Elon students seem to be taking advantage of the free speech Yik Yak has to offer. However it seems like the lines between free speech and hate speech are blurred. For many, being anonymous erases many boundaries- exposing relationships, individuals by name, and much more. While entertaining (and quite frankly hilarious), the comeback of Yik Yak at Elon has led to plenty of gossip at the expense of some individual’s well being. A few universities have already banned the use of the app for students.
Although many are thrilled at the effort the company had placed on ending cyber bullying, it does not seem like there is much more that can be done while keeping the anonymity in place. Without the anonymous feature, the entire point of the app would vanish and users might as well go onto Twitter or similar networks to release personal thoughts and opinions. Yik Yak has been back for about a month, the question of how much longer it will last is still up in the air. Hopefully, there are more ways yet to be put in place that can aid in ending cyberbullying on the app. Yik Yak is the perfect platform to anonymously cry about Elon’s new vegan decisions, spread love for a student-run cookie business, share a terrible frat experience, or express disappointment for the lack of fried rice & bagels. Unfortunately, there are always going to be individuals that will take advantage of being incognito.
Have fun on Yik Yak! But remember to be careful what you yak, or bad yakarma is going to get you.