Yik Yak is a social media smartphone application. It is available for iOS and Android and it allows people anonymously to create and view "Yaks" within a 5-mile radius.
Thank you to the oh so credible Wikipedia for that definition. In this particular instance, it is an accurate definition. Yik Yak is a commonly used social app, mostly in schools and the "yaks" or posts, are written by the students. According to the official website for the app, the purpose is to "get a live feed of what everyone's saying around you." The site later goes on to explain that you must be eighteen years or older to post on the app or site itself (which, like every other age restrictive site out there, almost everyone lies about in order to see the content) and then the most important part, to me at least: Unauthorized Activities. A synopsis of that section would be do not harm or offend anyone else, do not exploit anyone else, do not condone or endorse illegal activity, etc., etc. Basically, do not bully and do unto others what you would like done unto yourself. And of course the majority of the app users do those exact things they aren't supposed to do -- who would have thought? But the real kicker to this app, is that every post is 100 percent anonymous. You, as the writer of your "yak," are the only person who knows what you have posted. Let us look at some examples of "yaks":
Some are kind of humorous:
Some are 100 percent creepy and disturbing:
And then there are the ones I am concerned about:
Wow.
The saddest part is that people find stuff like those last few pictures of posts amusing and will "upvote" them (essentially liking the post) even though it is offensive to one or more persons out there and overall a moral disgrace. I have sometimes questioned the morality of the people surrounding me but never more than when I actually downloaded this app on my personal phone. It is disgusting how people talk about, humiliate, degrade, and break down those around them all while hiding behind a phone screen.
Before the end of all of this, it would not be fair to not credit those who are anonymously encouraging of those around them, who "yak" positive and uplifting compliments, and who overall are just decent human beings on social media. You are the outliers here; there are very few of you.
Basically, just please before you post anything to any sort of social media, especially one where you know you cannot be held accountable for your actions, just realize the implications of your words. It is not that hard to be nice to people or just respect them as other human beings.
