Dear Knights,

“Just sent in my first college application.” Swipe up

“Sally looks ugly in that outfit.” Swipe down

The first yak does not affect any users’ lives, but the second yak could hurt Sally’s feelings.

A typical Yak at North Penn is more like the second example: negatively picking out students at North Penn.

Yik Yak is designed for College students as an app to bring together the student body of larger schools.  College students base it more on the college experience and campus, using their wit and humor to get more ups – unlike many North Penn students who use their offensive language to get more ups, making students feel bad about themselves like Sally.

The Anti-Bullying movement is supported nationwide. Programs have been implemented to stop cyber bullying, yet when students go on Yik Yak, they type anonymous messages and disregard the fact that their words hurt. An account, username, and password are not needed, only turning on your location services will show one what other people have been saying.

Many students at North Penn (and you know who you are) use this app to make fun of students by stating their first and last names, but also to start rumors. Similar to favoriting a tweet, users can “up” and “down” yaks, but when it gets five downs, the yak is automatically deleted.

Students feel that they can yak about anybody or anything because no one will know who said it. They stay hidden behind their phones, allowing them to express their thoughts.

The issue with Yik Yak is that it’s cyber bullying, but authorities cannot find out who said what because there is no username (although, let’s face it – the authorities can always find this stuff out when they need to). The app itself is hilarious when used correctly and positively, but how some North Penn students use Yik Yak is hurtful and offensive. Students single out specific students, races, and genders and make offensive comments about them.

Many college students, however, download Yik Yak to see what other college students are saying and to stay connected. Universities do not single out students because with a class of 18,000+ students, many will not know who one is talking about, unlike North Penn students who know most kids at the school. Scrolling through the Yik Yak feed, it is difficult to interpret if a yak is positive or negative.

As a student, I wonder how I can stop this cyberbullying. One way is to not download the app or “down” every immature, rude, offensive yak there is.

This recent fad is impossible to escape: it’s at every lunch table and in every pod.

Think about other popular trends like Silly Bands and MySpace: they declined. Yik Yak will too, but when? When will people stop being rude? When will North Penn students grow up? Answer: Not soon enough.

Sincerely,

Siena