The Quick Solution to Yik Yak

A teenager commits suicide. A business executive looses his job. A teacher is defamed. A woman questions her identity.

What do all of these events have in common? The seemingly unstoppable plague of Yik Yak, a social media app that allows users to post anonmously about everything. Many of us have the app and would list looking at the crazy things people say as one of our guilty pleasures. But some of us who use Yik Yak would also say that the app is dangerous and at certain times taken too seriously.

We like to wine and complain, stating “Yik Yak is garbage. Look what it’s doing to Amy, Jack, and Bobby” or “why do people say these horrid things on an app?” And we surely don’t like when someone says nasty things about us.

Time for a reality check.

Using Yik Yak only adds fuel to the digital fire — Contributing to the discussion by commenting and using “down and up” arrow ratings is exactly what a rude person wants you to do. These people get a kick from the viral nature of their post. Thus, the more comments they receive, the more they feel accomplished and validated for their actions.

Gossip has always existed, except now you can see it — If you think that people thinking poorly of others is new, call your doctor. Somehow we find it okay to talk poorly about someone else behind their backs (which eventually will make it back to them), but not anonymously over an app. At least for me, hearing from a friend that others on campus have something bad to say is much worse than seeing a post. The point? Yik Yak, even though I despise it, did not start the trend of trash-talking.

So what’s the solution? Delete the app.

Now, of course this doesn’t work if only one person decides to do it. But if hundreds, if not thousands, on a college campus deleted Yik Yak, it would loose its relevance to cyberbullies and trolls and eventually die out (at least in a local setting). As I’ve always said, sometimes beating the crowd is not joining the crowd.