Yik Yak: A Bully's Platform

When it comes to the internet, everyone knows nothing is ever deleted. This makes it very easy for anyone's most embarrassing moments, pictures, and mistakes to be forever archived for the world to see. At the time, that drunken picture or angry Tweet may have seemed like a good idea, but as time goes on, the regret usually sets in. But what if your social media image isn't in your own hands but someone else's?

The University of South Dakota has already faced something similar to this. With the Facebook site "USD Confessions", people submit their anonymous posts, which are later posted on the page for anyone to view. However, the administrator for the site is able to reject posts that are too over-the-top or shorten the names of mean or crude ones to somewhat protect the victim of the post.

The newest craze is an app called "Yik Yak". This app is created so anyone in a certain geographical location can post anything to a public wall. These topics could include someone's best pickup lines or discussions on the weather... Or worse.

The problem that immediately arose was the abuse of the anonymity. What was originally supposed to be a fun and innocent way for college students to communicate has become a public forum for bullies to take out their aggression. Anyone can use this site to completely destroy someone's reputation or credibility. To remind everyone, once something is online, it's there forever. One simple post can seriously damage someone's future. Luckily, I have not been a victim of Yik Yak yet, but it's popularity is still on the rise.

Two more unknown problems have come from the site's creation. First, instead of being used solely by college students, the site has trickled down into high schools and middle schools. As many of us remember, middle school is full of enough bullies. Adding an aspect of anonymity will only add fuel to the fire. Secondly, the safety of campuses all across the nation is being tested through the site. Already in its short life, the site has been used for death threats against students and bomb threats against schools as stated in this website.

What's the solution? Ridding the internet and phones of these anonymous sites is a first step. Someone with strong opinions should not be able to hide behind an app. The world is full of enough bullies. By giving bullies such a convenient platform to unleash their ridicule, we are only inviting more negativity and peer pressure into our society.