Anonymous app thrives on campus

It’s the app that everyone’s yakking about.

Yik Yak has quickly swept Utah State University’s campus as the spring semester advances. The app includes a platform where anyone 18 and older can post anonymously.

“Yik Yak is sort of like an anonymous Twitter,” said Jordan Barker, a junior majoring in biology. “Basically you post whatever, and people around you can see it without knowing it’s you. If they like it, they upvote it, and if not, then downvote.”

Barker, who has had the app for approximately six months now, described Yik Yak as a tool for free self-expression.

“I like that Yik Yak is anonymous for the reason that I can post something ridiculous and no one will ever know it was me. It’s honestly kind of a confidence booster when you are secretly funny and post something and you get like 140 upvotes or something crazy like that,” Barker said.

With the anonymity of the app, many users have discovered how easy it can be to post crude and even offensive comments. According to The Guardian, the creators of the app have placed numerous safety measures in an attempt to create a better experience for Yik Yak users.

Yik Yak has rules that users are asked to abide by before accessing the app. Some of these include anti-bullying policies, namedropping and a zero-tolerance policy on posting phone numbers.

Despite all the efforts to create a decent, tasteful app experience, students like Carly Messerly Lee, a freshman majoring in geology, are still dissatisfied with the content on Yik Yak.

“I don’t like that people take advantage of trolling and post downright disgraceful things that they would never say in person if we actually knew who they were, Yik Yak doesn’t enforce well,” Lee said.

John Bennett, an undeclared freshman, argued that Yik Yak’s anonymity makes for a safe, universal platform where bullying does not take place.

“It’s just so anonymous,” Bennett said. “You can’t bully someone if you’re not talking personally to anyone.”

An additional feature on Yik Yak allows users to decide what is funny, appropriate or relevant through the upvotes and downvotes. If a yak gets too many downvotes, it is eventually deleted. This feature provides users with the power to ultimately control what they want in their Yik Yak feed.

“I don’t really like how crude some people are,” Barker said. “There are some sick people out there. But it’s kind of cool because if enough people get together and downvote a bad yak, then it will disappear, which is nice.”

One of the most striking features about Yik Yak, particularly in Logan, is how strong the game is at USU compared to other college campuses.

“I have gone out of town before, like the Christmas break — that was the worst. In my hometown there was literally nothing the entire time,” Barker said. “I would always peek in on Logan’s, and it was crazy how many good yaks were still coming from there.”

Another feature on Yik Yak allows for a “peek” into a different college campus. Users are unable, however, to upvote or downvote other yaks outside of their proximity.

“I think it’s so popular here just because we are social people and we like to be connected,” Barker said. “BYU sometimes has funny stuff, but Logan is pretty diverse, and so it keeps it real.”

For freshman Melissa Arias, who is majoring in biochemistry, Yik Yak is a good way to stay connected to events going on around campus as well as in the community.

“It’s interesting to see things going on,” Arias said. “Like this one time when there was a bake sale going on and everyone was all like, ‘Oh little kids selling cookies and stuff,’ and I was like, ‘Where’s the bake sale?’ and then I was like, ‘Oh, found it.'”

Another way students like to stay connected is by yakking about things that other students can relate to. Some of these include roommate drama, work problems and even “Ripstick Dude.”

“The funniest yak that I’ve posted, I don’t know if you’ve seen him, but there’s a guy that rolls around campus, and he’s always on a Ripstick, the one without the shirt, and everybody comments about him and so I posted something,” Bennett said. “I don’t remember what my wording was, but it was pretty funny. I gave myself a pat on the back for it, and I don’t think he knows that he’s the ‘Ripstick Dude’ on Yik Yak.”

Those who want to ride the Yak can download the app for free.

— alyssa.hawkins@aggiemail.usu.edu

Twitter: @_alyssahawkins