Yik Yak: Talking Smack

Introducing the latest fad in anonymous social media: Yik Yak. Yik Yak is an app that promises a veil of anonymity, and the freedom to post any gripes, gossip, or general thoughts for users within a 10-mile radius to see. The application is widely available to iOS and Android users, and does not require users to enter personal information or create an account.

Released in November 2013, Yik Yak’s recent skyrocket in popularity among college campuses may be owed to its accessibility and anonymity. According to the application’s founders, no “yak,” or post, will reveal the author, and users can either up-vote or down-vote a yak; yaks that receive 5 negative votes are deleted. The simple application consists of few elements, including “Peek” and “New/Hot.” The “Peek” feature allows the user to view yaks from various universities around the country, while “New/Hot” displays most recent or popular yaks.

Melis Kirikoglu, a freshman at UC Berkeley, favors the universality of Yik Yak.

“Students across the country use this app. [It] makes an intellectual community more connected. It’s knowing the thoughts and experiences of people you don’t know but share a common ground with that is really cool,” Kirikoglu said.

Cortney Hafkin, a freshman at Binghamton University, N.Y., agrees that “[Yik Yak] connects the school community.”

Students often post references to academics or ongoing social events on campus, allowing them to interact with fellow peers. However UC Berkeley student Ben Papadopoulos argues, “It’s great for humor, but it’s also a way to anonymously bash a specific person or a group of people in a public forum, and to have that negativity praised through popularity.”

Before using the application, the user agrees to a set of rules, including: “You do not bully or specifically target other Yakkers.”

As expected, not all users abide by this rule.

In the last week, multiple universities in New Jersey, New York, Alabama and California took action against students for offensive posts or the spread of inappropriate content. At Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., the student government called for the ban of Yik Yak, labeling the app as “a platform for hate speech or harassment.”

In an effort to counter negativity circulating on Yik Yak and similar sites, students from Belmont High School, N.H. taped words of praise and encouragement to school lockers. Despite Yik Yak’s guaranteed limitation to college campuses through a “geofence,” younger users, such as those in Belmont and also nationwide, are able to access the application. Furthermore, the lack of accountability proves troublesome, as users are not required to enter personal information; consequently, users who post inappropriate content may not be held responsible.

Most alarming, 6ABC News reports that a Widener University freshman was placed in custody for threatening to shoot students on Yik Yak, referencing mass school shootings such as Columbine and Virginia Tech.

Forensic analysts immediately traced the post to an IP address and GPS coordinates linked to the student’s cellphone. Contrary to what Yik Yak encourages its users to believe, any information uploaded to the Internet leaves a virtual fingerprint and geo-tag easily traced by authorities, but some communities have begun to consider more preemptive measures.

While efforts to ban the app at schools such as Emory University are admirable, the notion seems an unlikely long-term solution, as communities cannot dictate which apps are and aren’t allowed on their students’ smartphones. Additionally, the use of anonymous social media is nothing new—evidently, the rise and fall of sites such as Yik Yak, 4Chan, Formspring, and ask.fm suggests the ephemerality but reoccurrence of similar media outlets. Although an educational or general environment free of such sites is ideal, removing access to social media is improbable.

Rather than blaming social media sites for harassment and cyberbullying, we should target the source of the problem: the users themselves. With freedom of speech comes responsibility in respecting others; however, as seen in similar sites Formspring or ask.fm, anonymous posts tend to take a negative turn, as posts quickly spiral from the harmless “Always counting down the days till the new flavor drops at Yogurtland” to derogatory comments targeting students and groups.

The virtual community, not only at UC Berkeley but nationally, should be mindful of a single post’s potential to harm or offend any member of the student population. Simply considering the effect of our words before pressing “Post” can go a long way, and foster a safer environment for our fellow Bears. What will your next yak be?

Image source twitter.com.