The ability of University of Wyoming students to say whatever they want anonymously over the Internet has reached new levels with the advent of the new phone application “Yik Yak”. It has taken off since its release in late 2013, and is currently the 20th most downloaded social media app in the world, according to Apple.
“Yik Yak” is a social media app that allows users to post, read posts, up and down-vote posts to show opinion and observe other schools posts, all anonymously. At no point is the user required to give any information other than location. The app will only show posts from within one and a half miles of a college campus or special location, and will not open near K-12 schools. Its last component is the idea of “Yakarma,” which is a score on your account that increases or decreases when other users like or dislike posts you create.
Jenn Carson, a former school counselor, believes that the proximity aspect of “Yik Yak” is what has led to its meteoric rise to popularity on college campuses. “Without the filter or friending or following, you can instantly read everything written in your own setting. The yaks list students, professors and places you know,” Carson said.
Carson also thinks that the anonymity aspect of Yik Yak fulfills a social desire that is inherent to the college age demographic.
“Yik Yak is the bathroom wall of the 21st century,” Carson said. “Individuals share a secret crush, a passive aggressive complaint or an off color joke in this venue.”
The app is not without its faults, as can be expected with complete anonymity, and Carson acknowledges the harms that a “Yak” can illicit as well.
“While there is a reporting feature, yaks with hate speech, sexual disclosures and illegal activities appear constantly on the “Yik Yak” feed.”
Thomas Lesner, a senior Political Science major, said that he heard about the app from his friend who attends Metro in Denver. Lesner said that his level of interaction with the app varies, “Sometimes I feel funny and I’ll throw something out there, other days I just sit by and read what people post,” said Lesner.
The anonymity of “Yik Yak” is a big selling point for Lesner, which he said takes pressure off of people using the app.
“The anonymity is perhaps the best feature. I believe it takes the edge and pressure off of what people might want to post,” Lesner said. “As long as it’s not abused, it makes the community thrive.”
He uses the app consistently because of the funny posts and because it makes him feel in touch with the campus community. Overall he feels that the app should not cause concern.
“As long as people keep it anonymous, respectful, and light-hearted then there should be no issue,” he said.
Emily De Wett, a senior in Criminal Justice and Gender and Women’s Studies, feels that although the app is not all bad, it is generally detrimental to the campus community.
“I do think the app can be fun, but the harm that can be done concerns me, and I weigh that concern higher than the fun,” she said.
De Wett has uninstalled the app because the type of unfiltered content she was seeing discouraged her. “Some of the things upset me to the point of needing to uninstall because I don’t need to be encouraging that negativity through being active with it.,” De Wett said.
The lack of accountability is really what makes De Wett believe she is better off without participating in “Yik Yak”. She said it can lead to stories getting miscommunicated much like a game of telephone.
“Anonymity allows people to say whatever without being tied to it,” Dewett said. “I believe this allows for much more negativity.”
