Junior English major
Recently, Yik Yak has climbed to the top of the social media gossip ladder. While Twitter and Facebook offer news on global issues, upcoming events and recent relationship statuses, Yik Yak allows users to submit anonymous confessions and observations.
The anonymity of Yik Yak is what makes it so popular. Similar to a Twitter feed, Yik Yak orders the posts from most recent and most popular. Users can up-vote or down-vote a post, depending on whether they find it funny and witty, or crude and disturbing.
But lately, many posts that should be considered disturbing are being up-voted. Users crack racist and sexist jokes. Posts about alcohol, drugs and sexual activity flood the feed. While some of the crude posts are slightly funny and entertaining, the majority of them could be filed as offensive or even considered hate crimes.
Many students already have suffered the consequences of Yik Yak. An anonymous user will post the address of a party, the name of a drug dealer or a threat toward an individual. The results quickly outshine that user’s five minutes of anonymous fame.
Police officers, resident directors and resident assistants have access to Yik Yak, as do all other individuals in the College Park area. The beauty of Yik Yak is that it provides a live feed of all the people closest to you. So next time you announce that there is a pregame in room 3829 or party down Metzerott Road, remember that the authoritative figure down the road just saw this as the latest post. When an officer shows up on your doorstep, you won’t even know who posted your address. There is no way to solve a crime if the criminal can’t be identified.
And while this all sounds a bit dramatic and over-the-top (I am well aware that many users posts things just to get a rise out of others), Yik Yak does put a damper on this university’s image.
Yik Yak allows users to tap into the feeds of other universities across the nation. Do you really want future Terps choosing to come here because they looked on Yik Yak and saw that the girls here are “moist and ready”? Is it really OK to crack jokes about getting so blacked out you “died last night,” while Clemson University is mourning the loss of one of its students?
This is America, and you can say whatever you like, but it all just seems rather immature for the greatest student body in the nation.
Katie Stuller is a junior English major. She can be reached at kstullerdbk@gmail.com.
