Yik Yak is the newest social media app that is taking over
college campuses. Everyone describes Yik Yak as “the anonymous Twitter.” This
is a pretty accurate description. Yik
Yak allows you to post (within 200 characters) your thoughts on anything from
the weather, the food at Mac, the football team and the amount of work you are
procrastinating doing.
Yik Yak only shows posts within a one and a half mile
radius. So, if you are using Yik Yak in Ada, most of these posts will be coming
from ONU students. There is an option to “up vote” or “down vote” the post. Any
posts with five down votes, or a score of -5, will be deleted. You are also
able to see “yaks” from different colleges, “All-Time Greatest Yaks” and even
“yaks” from Hogwarts.
The majority of my friends had downloaded this app, so of
course I decided to try it out myself. At first I didn’t know what the buzz was
about, but the more I scrolled, the more intrigued I was. I was “up voting” a
lot of yaks and laughed at relatable posts.
Now I am addicted. I check Yik Yak way too many times a day.
I have even started posting my own yaks and getting really excited when they
get more then one up vote.
However, some people using names on Yik Yak, even though it
is anonymous. I think this is taking the fun out of this app. Dr. Keith Ablow
writes in this article that if people start using names, it can lead to
rumors being started and a bad reputation for the person mentioned. “There is
no way to know if the “yak” is true,” says Ablow.
I think Ablow is right to defend these people mentioned in
yaks. But, I also think that if all the users of this app continue to use it in
good fun, there shouldn’t be any problems. The ONU students seem to be behaving
themselves on this app so far, but we will see if this continues in the future.
Have you used Yik Yak? What are your thoughts on this
contagious app? Is Yik Yak social media genius or a recipe for disaster?
Kelly, I loved reading your article because I too am new to Yik Yak. It is funny how much more honest students can be on the app compared to Twitter. I think the best part is that we can truly express our thoughts without worrying if anyone will pass judgment. I feel like I am part of a community when I am scrolling through the feed, as opposed to the popularity contest on Twitter. I agree, keeping it anonymous will keep the culture alive, because otherwise it will just be another Twitter.
ReplyDeleteKelly, thank you for explaining Yik Yak in more depth. I continue to hear about this from my friends on campus, but I have not downloaded the app myself yet. Some of the content I have heard through friends is funny and entertaining, but I have heard of the negative yaks that unfortunately arise. I think this app is contagious because it is similar to Twitter, but the added element of anonymity makes Yik Yak social media genius. This app is spreading and fast! But, I do agree this app has the potential to be a recipe for disaster. If users are not being respectful and violating the original purpose of the app, then Yik Yak's popularity will not be sustained.
ReplyDeleteKelly, I just downloaded Yik Yak yesterday becuse I have also been hearing about all the buzz from it. I find it very entertaining and interesting because I get to read perspectives from people I may not normally "follow" on other social media sites. However, the fact that the source of the posts are anomymous may cause issues. I have been reading several articles on this topic and one phsycologist said it may be the biggest disastor in social media history because people can say whatever they want about anyone else without any reprecussions. It will be interesting to see where this app goes and I hope it does not end up taking a negative path.
ReplyDeleteKelly, I love using Yik Yak! I downloaded it about a week ago and it has been entertaining to see how many "up votes" my "yaks" receive. It is also enjoyable to find out that a friend wrote a funny, popular "yak." However, I'm getting tired of people calling out certain individuals on Yik Yak. I think that leads to bullying, which is obviously never a good thing. Thanks for your post; we'll see how this app pans out in the future!
ReplyDelete