“How many Mean Girls references will be made today? The limit does not exist.” October 3 always fills the internet with quotes from the 2004 hit Mean Girls, but this year, they are found in a different form. The latest electronic fad, Yik Yak, has been spreading across the nation and landing primarily on college campuses.
We are part of a millennial generation with a so-called “addiction” to technology. Changes in communication technology in the last decade have been incredible, and there are quite a few of these that cannot be considered inherently good.
Yik Yak is similar to Twitter, except that all posts are anonymous. It also only shows Yaks that have been submitted within a ten mile radius of the user. For Connecticut College, this means the app primarily picks up on Conn students and the Coast Guard Academy. “I think Yik Yak is a good app, and I like it because of how easy it is to just pull it up and read some opinions and thoughts from random people around campus,” says Karl Johnson ’18.
There are certainly advantages to this. It is a simple application that acts as a way to connect with the college community, and the creators have made navigation of Yik Yak almost effortless. It has become a humorous campus-wide chatroom and, to a degree, a somewhat informative service to get the scoop on what’s happening on campus. Often, the app is filled with a stream of wildlife updates like, “Skunk spotted chilling outside JA patio. Exit with caution,” or “I wonder if the skunks and squirrels ever get involved in turf wars.” There’s even the occasional pick-me-up to help you through your day: “Conn college students are really, really, ridiculously good looking.”
“It’s an entertaining way to see what the student body thinks of the stuff that happens on campus,” Lex Levitte ’18 said.
Most students use the application as just that: a form of entertainment to see what is happening on campus. At times, the Yaks can definitely be respites to get through a strenuous day of classes. There is also an option to browse through Yaks currently posted on different college and university campuses across the country through the “peek” tab at the bottom of the screen.
As the app has become prominent on college campuses, many of the Yaks also relate to partying, drinking and drug consumption in relatively light-hearted ways. For example, dozens of Yaks like, “I really appreciate how every other floor at this school smells like weed and mine smells like brownies :) Oh. Wait. Shit,” and “Tomorrow’s forecast: heavy rain followed by heavy drinking” have been seen on the app.
As fun as some of the posts can be, there have also been some concerns that have surfaced about Yik Yak with its newfound popularity over the past months. Since it was released, the app has been banned in high schools due to its potential for slander and negativity.
“I think the anonymous nature of it is really smart because people can be more honest without the fear of repercussions than on a medium like Twitter,” Johnson said. “I don’t think it has any adverse effects socially or in terms of how we communicate because if anything, it gives people an outlet to express how they feel and opinions they wouldn’t want to voice in person, in a fairly harmless way.”
The anonymous aspect of the app is definitely controversial because, as Johnson pointed out, it can be used as an outlet to express opinions untraceably, without having to take responsibility for them.
“The only thing that could happen that would make me worry about the app is if it got too personal, [such as] calling out specific names it groups, and the anonymous and carefree nature of the app was lost,” Johnson said.
Since the app was first released in 2013, there have been cases of cyber-bullying that have come up due to its anonymous nature. As it has become a sudden hit on college campuses across the country, this is a reason for alarm, especially since the authors of such rowdy Yaks cannot be stopped or prevented.
There is also the issue of unreliability. Like many social media applications, what is posted on the app cannot be believed to be true, and although posts can be removed, there is no way to know if false information has further spread since originally posted. Therefore, it can lead to gossip around college campuses, which could be emotionally detrimental to the targets of such rumors.
Over the past few weeks, on-campus communication using the application has been slowing down. Students certainly still use it, but they openly discuss what they see less and less which may be associated with its controversial nature or a shame that comes from some of the inappropriate Yaks posted.
Although how Yik Yak will ultimately affect the culture at Connecticut College, if at all, remains hazy, over the course of this year it is clearly going to be both a funny and potentially dangerous social medium at Conn. •
