Yikity Yak, Don't Yak Back

CLOCK PHOTO / CARLY RISTUCCIA

Schools across the United States have been reeling after the release of the latest social media craze, Yik Yak, a platform that CEO, founder, and developer Tyler Droll likens to  “a city's central plaza or campus bulletin board.” The release of Yik Yak may best be viewed as a response to the unstoppable wildfire regarding privacy concerns that the media has been spouting regularly, as many recognize Yik Yak as an anonymous version of Twitter. There is no release of a user’s identity, and thus no alleged risk of persecution for whatever statement is released.

For those unfamiliar with the app, think of Yik Yak like this: a user opens up the app and, depending on their location, is confronted with a newsfeed of posts that users in their area have anonymously submitted. The user could respond to a post, up or down vote it to either heighten or lower its popularity, or enter the fray by putting up their own post. Users can have their own handle, but all of that is optional. 

Students are skeptical about the applications potential for influencing positive change. “It’s really easy for people to down-vote something so that it’s taken down, meaning that if there are five people who only care about the funny Yaks about drinking/partying and whatnot, they can eliminate the other posts,” said Cassidy Spencer, a Junior Social Studies Education major.

Fox News psychologist Dr. Keith Ablow reiterates and furthers Spencer’s point. “Yik Yak can turn a school into a virtual chat room where everyone can post his or her comments, anonymously.  Untruthful, mean, character-assassinating short messages are immediately seen by all users in a specific geographic area,” he said. 

Yik Yak has the potential to do real good, as well as incredible evil depending on how the users decide to utilize it. For example, a user could use the platform to voice a reasonable, controversial, but incredibly relevant view on an issue that they ordinarily might be ostracized for. Users could also advertise upcoming events, note class cancelations, warn others of traffic obstructions, and so forth. 

PSU Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Psychology Dr. David Zehr provides another manner for understanding why individuals might gravitate toward the negative content often released. “If you think about the function of gossip, gossip is a way of jockeying for position in a social group. It’s a very powerful tool, and if you think about adolescence and college, you should think that these are your competitors in terms of grades, in terms of potential jobs, and in potential mates -- if you will. And that competition can be fierce. And so if there is somebody that you don’t like -- somebody that has done something to you -- what’s a better way than to get back at them? That’s why I think when you have a forum where you can post anonymously and say ‘so and so cheated on an exam,’ you don’t have to be confronted – there is no consequence,” he said.

Again, while Yik Yak has the potential to do much harm, it equally has the capability to provide an effective venue for vocalizing an individual’s thoughts, which could enhance the wellbeing of the community through relevant information and insight. Consider also how different cultures might utilize the platform, using it as a means for quickly conferring bombing threats in a war-torn nation. 

Developer Droll has been working with his team to make users who blatantly break the law, perhaps by posting assassination or bomb threats, which have plighted public schools, identifiable via GPS, as well as the ability for users to flag posts they deem offensive.

wAt the time of writing this piece, the top rated Yak for the Plymouth area reads: “Do freshman have sex with their lanyards on?” with over 109 up-votes. Nonetheless, Yik Yak remains an uncontested territory, open to all, and unbiased in the content individuals choose to represent the community around them.