During Chip Pollard’s “Q&A Chapel” on April 19, 2022, the president of John Brown Univeristy was asked to comment on his thoughts on “Yik Yak.” In response, he answered, “I am not on Yik Yak. I have been told about Yik Yak. To be honest, what I’ve been told about it is a little disheartening. The comments that happen on Yik Yak, particularly the comments that happen during chapel have been pretty harsh, pretty foul. What I am finding more and more is that when people don’t put their names to their comments, the darkest side of human nature comes out … to be anonymous is bad for us. Because we don’t have to own our comments, and we don’t have some restraint … So, I would say it’s probably not healthy at all because of the anonymity aspect of it. But I think there’s ways of how to better disagree with one another.”
Yik Yak is a social media app that allows users to create and interact with anonymous posts with their subsequent threads within a five-mile radius. As a result, it is popular amongst high school and college students. The app was initially launched in 2013, finding significant growth in the coming year. However, both in its wider user population and at JBU, Yik Yak is often used as a platform for cyber-bullying and hate speech, with many students eager and willing to take advantage of the anonymity afforded to them.
The Threefold Advocate reports that, following a conference on immigration, “yaks began to appear using racial slurs against Hispanic students and telling students in the Walton International Scholars Program to go back to their home countries.” Disparaging anonymous comments from JBU students included continued racism, especially after chapel, and even statements that could be correctly labeled as sexual harassment. This led to a significant decrease in user downloads. According to Tech Crunch, by 2016, downloads dropped 76%. Subsequently, the app was shut down in April 2017, NPR reports.
After a four-year break, the anonymous messaging platform returned to app stores in August 2021. The new owners of Yik Yak have made clear their stance on bullying, threats and abuse. The official website states, “On the new Yik Yak, it’s against the Community Guardrails to post bullying messages or use hate speech, make threats, or share anyone’s private information.” After all, the company itself is “committed to making Yik Yak a fun place free of bullying, threats, and all sorts of negativity.” Since its grand return, the app has also seen a resurgence of popularity among JBU students, though this time with a little less racism. Thankfully, due to strict community guidelines and a new generation of students, most seem to use the app to make jokes. Typical Yaks often include funny statements, including, “Be praying for me just found I have a paper due tomorrow morning,” and “I hate it when I’m tryna shower and someone’s already in MY shower.” Some just choose to be honest: “I just want a man who loves Jesus.”
While the atmosphere is largely comical, it is not uncommon for gossip to spread, often using full names in both initial posts and threads. Freshman Nick Cox commented on his experience with cyberbullying on the app, “One post that has been ingrained in my head was where one of my RA friends was directly targeted in a post that simply read, ‘RA [name here] is a b****,’ and another that read, ‘RA [name here] can suck my d***’ respectively. It was quite upsetting because this RA is one of the most kind, genuine people I know, and it hurt to see their name thrown around and insulted for the whole school to see. I knew the background story of why these posts were made and it was simply because they were reported, and my RA friend was only doing their job. These comments wouldn’t have been posted anywhere else besides on Yik Yak because it is completely anonymous.”
Cox continued, “Ever since, I haven’t looked at the app the same since I can see the damage it can do. I personally don’t use the app anymore.”
The return of the app and its subsequent controversy has brought its fair share of discussion amongst the student body. Some, like junior Kate Korasick, align more with Pollard in their opinion of the platform. “It contributes to a toxic culture of divisiveness on campus, providing anonymity to perpetrators of immaturity and hate.”
Sophomore Emma Beagle felt similarly, saying, “I understand that you can be frustrated with something or someone, but you should also be willing to claim what you say.” Others feel differently, enjoying the nuance and bluntness afforded by the privilege of anonymity. To sophomore Ben Vasey, Yik Yak is a “great outlet for genuine thoughts.” Senior Samuel Gurel said, “If the anonymous thoughts of people on your campus are scaring you, the problem isn’t with the fact that you’re getting to see their anonymous thoughts. It’s a problem with the people. Don’t blame the platform, blame the folks. It’s like the ancient adage: a drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts. I for one love getting to see what people are like when there’s no identifying stuff. It allows you to see who they really are.”
As Yik Yak continues to gain popularity and strengthens its hold on JBU, it feels as if a great mirror is being held in front of the student body. As we learn who we really are, one cannot help but wonder, will we like who we see? And how will we choose to respond?