I’ve been hearing a lot of yak about Yik Yak from students and teachers alike. Here’s why, while imperfect, there are plenty of positives. Let’s show Yik Yak and its users some love.
Better safe than sorry...
Sometimes things are said anonymously because they need to be said and no one wants the backlash or responsibility for saying them. It may only take one person to speak up, but that one person needs a bout of courage that they may be able to find in anonymity.
While I’m not saying it’s healthy to hide behind anonymity, it is a nice safety. When you publish an idea anonymously, you can get feedback without having to commit to it. If enough people anonymously agree on something, someone may eventually have the courage to say it out loud.
via weheartit
Level out the playing field...
Sometimes it is to your advantage that people can’t attach a name to an idea. There are all sorts of prejudices in the world and while our generation is one of the most accepting, there are still ideas that fall on deaf ears because of all kinds of false standards. In this way Yik Yak evens out the playing field. You hear honest thoughts without the distortion of preconceived notions based on age, gender, sexuality, race, or social standing.
via tumblr
Bring it in...
Not to mention that Yik Yak is a cross-campus bonding tool. Things are upped based on their value and not on who said them. So you have a true gauge of what is important, humorous, or a problem to a campus.
via buzzfeed
Be who you want to be...
YikYak is a place where you have the freedom to be yourself -- uncensored. This kind of freedom is liberating and unique given the world we live in. It's a chance to take off whatever filter you feel pressured to use in day to day situations that may dilute the truth. Authors have written under pen-names for who knows how long in order to escape censorship. Why is this just now becoming an issue?
Perhaps because of online bullying--which is an argument I will not diminish because it can be a serious problem. That being said, I have more faith in my campus (and human beings in general) than to think that they will use this app as a place to bully someone. While I’m not entirely read up on why bullies are bullies, I know that it has to do with cowards wanting to feel powerful. By not attaching your name to a negative comment on Yik Yak you aren’t even reaping that twisted reward. Furthermore, because of anonymity, you can be whoever you want to be on Yik Yak--you can have the courage to stand up for others and down-vote negative or un-constructive comments. So why on earth would you choose to be a jerk when you can say something kind, interesting, or funny instead?
via buzzfeed
With great power….
Yik Yak is not an app created to feed hatred or bullying. It is an app in which there are little consequences to what you say. How you use that power is up to you. And what your Yik Yak dash looks like is a direct reflection of your campus and your peers at their most honest.
via giphy
And after I wrote this, I found a neat article in which a lot of my ideas are backed by the founders of Yik Yak! For further reading, check out this article.
