The Ugly Side of Anonymity
As any Elon University student knows, Yik Yak has made a surprising comeback to campus. Even more surprising is the way that it has taken over every screen, every conversation, and maybe our morals?
Yik Yak is an anonymous social platform based around your location. At Elon, for example, students living within a 1 mile radius of campus can read anonymous posts (or Yaks) from other students that usually involve inside jokes regarding campus.
Its goal is to limit the labels we are constantly putting on ourselves and others to live a less ‘strings-attached’ kind of lifestyle. But is that really what the site is accomplishing?
At Elon, most of the posts are innocent and actually clever. However, some people have chosen to use this platform as a way to spread hate, not only on the site, but more notably throughout campus.
Many of these posts are directly targeting Elon students in a way that is simply unnecessary and it’s clear that the easy anonymity of the app is being taken advantage of.
The app claims that it takes a strong stance against online bullying and hate speech, saying “We’re committed to combating bullying and hate speech on the Yik Yak platform by any means necessary… When you report a post, our team reviews it as soon as possible and takes action when necessary.”
But if we know anything about the Internet, it's that what you post never really goes away. Just because a Yak gets reported or taken down from the app does not immediately erase any damage that it already caused. The subject of an offensive piece of content can still see a screenshot and it’s pretty clear that word will spread quickly, especially on our campus.
Students are also taking to the app to call out Title IX offenses and sexual harassment cases. While this is an anonymous way to address the issues, a social media platform is not the best way to solve these cases and accuse other students of such crimes.
There are plenty of campus resources that are designed to help students in difficult situations like these, and they too can be reported anonymously. The university’s Title IX office, for example, is a support system for Elon students to deal with these problems. The LiveSafe app is also a great resource to anonymously ask for the help you need or to report and issue. And the on-call counselor number is on the back of all our Phoenix Cards in case you ever need to talk to someone in an emergency.
If you ever need help, please contact the resources listed below that can best assist you with the situation.
Yik Yak has also noticeably taken a toll on Elon’s campus and created a negative energy that there is no use for, especially in these already difficult and stressful times.
Junior Class President, Chase Solomon, spoke briefly to The Edge about the kind of culture he believes Yik Yak is inciting at Elon and the changes he’s noticed throughout the semester. Please note that Solomon’s opinions are his own and not on behalf of Elon University’s Student Government Association nor the student body.
“When using an app like Yik Yak, there’s a fine line between light banter and personal attacks,” Solomon says. “When it’s taken too far it creates a negative culture on campus where people feel it’s okay to attack others via an anonymous platform.”
It’s interesting how the anonymity of this app gives so much power to spread the hate people have inside. Take a minute and really think about what you are sharing on Yik Yak and just online in general. Is it really something worth posting?
As a campus, we need to be incredibly careful about the way we treat our school and each other. When it comes to Yik Yak it’s easy to create a toxic culture of online bullying and harassment here at Elon. Let this be a lesson in how to responsibly use the platforms and voice that we have online.
Take it from Harry Styles and just treat people with kindness.
Elon University Title IX Office: (336) 278- 5787
Elon Campus Safety and Police: (336) 278- 5555
Elon Safeline: (336) 278- 3333
LiveSafe App
Cover photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash.