Yik Yak: the anonymous social networking app that has been making its way through the country and into the heart of many college students. This app allows users, based on location, to freely post whatever they wish without worrying remotely about any kind of social pressure. With the absence of an active administrator or moderator, the only policing within this social network is based on "upvotes" and reporting. While this method promotes self-governance, it also leaves the door open for individuals to spew hateful comments for which they cannot be held accountable.
Like any other social networking site or application, a growth in the number of users generally correlates with a rise in "trolls" — individuals who post deliberately provocative messages in order to incite disruption and arguments. This theory has proved to be true for Yik Yak, and while it is somewhat easy to police, it is also very difficult to identify the specific troll and make them responsible for their comments.
In addition to the rise in trolls, Yik Yak has also arguably lost a lot of creativity in content. Most users of the social networking app would say that there has been a recent influx of individuals stealing witty yaks from other schools.
Another feature within Yik Yak is the option to "peek" at yaks from various areas. While it was intended to allow users to see what is going on at other universities and popular areas, it has also made it simple for a user to peak at another school, copy the top yak, and repost it in their own location in order to gain more "yakarma" — an in-app point system based on how well your yaks received by the community around you.
In response to this, many users of the app have begun calling others out by simply commenting “reyak” (or something to the effect) under the yak in question. While this does discourage the stealing of yaks, it also makes many users skeptical about the authenticity of true witty remarks within the app. This, coupled with trolls and other negative individuals, has made many people distance themselves from the app all together. Personally, I do not find myself checking Yik Yak as much as I did a few months ago, and this also proves to be the same with many others in the UVA community.
With as many positive things that Yik Yak can bring to communities, ranging from news to general positive vibes, it is a shame that the negative aspects of the app have taken over a portion of the public opinion. However, this should be a lesson learned in terms of the importance of accountability for one's actions. Without this virtue, we are given free reign to do, say, and act in any way we want without thinking about the impact it can have on other.
In my opinion, it would be a good idea to look more towards the motto of Google and “[not] be evil.”
