If you thought the days of petty comments disguised in anonymity were behind you (read: formspring.me and Facebook’s honesty box), you might want to give up now, because there’s an app that encompasses just that.
It’s called Yik Yak, and it’s kind of ridiculous. Kind of.
The app itself is set up like a newsfeed of sorts, with recent posts at the top and older posts at the bottom. Posts, or “yaks,” can be upvoted or downvoted, which is essentially the equivalent of a like or dislike on Facebook. Here, though, everything is anonymous, so it’s hard to trace yaks back to the original poster.
I downloaded the app to get a feel for the atmosphere on campus, and what I found was a recurring theme of certain sororities and fraternities being put down. Such is commonplace when you can say anything you want with no repercussion, but the small bit of hope I had for our maturity levels as a whole is now nonexistent.
What’s cool about this app is that you can see posts not only from your area, but also posts from different colleges and universities. This could be an interesting viewpoint around various sports seasons to gauge the level of school spirit from rival schools.
Or then again, other schools may just be posting about getting blackout drunk and trash-talking each other. Who’s to say.
I will admit that some of the posts are pretty funny. The random thoughts, or the “do it for the yak” moments are few, but when they happen it’s pure gold (okay, maybe it’s bronze).
The app is free for both Android and iPhone users, so check it out if your curiosity has been sparked. It’s definitely not one to be taken too seriously, but its attempt at being a useful tool has been made. To put it one way—it’s unlikely that this will be the next Snapchat.
