I’m sure Yik Yak has been in the news enough that I don’t have to tell you about this application. The app has caused uproars on our own campus, and if you’re reading this far into the depths of the paper, odds are you are familiar with previous front page stories.
The app is available to anyone with a smart phone. High school students are using Yik Yak to post hurtful messages directed at one another and spread rumors quickly through the hallways. Except in Fairfield, Ill., a 30-minute drive from my hometown, an anonymous comment on Yik Yak led to the arrest of a 20 year old in the community.
The man posted a threat to the local high school, which students saw and immediately alerted school officials. A few phone calls was all it took for authorities to contact Yik Yak.
The company then released the information of the user and his GPS coordinates. Six hours after the initial lockdown, the Fairfield Police Department arrested the “anonymous” individual.
Now, I don’t mean to preach to someone about an app or how they use it.
In fact, I like the app for its original intent and think it’s a cool way for students to talk about nothing important, but just everyday student life.
However, this instance is exactly why I would never post something I don’t actually mean or stand behind on any social media site.
There’s nothing wrong with posting about issues, daily life and even poking fun at some of the crazy things you can see on a college campus on an anonymous app, but there are still principles that should be followed.
My mom always quoted Thumper from the Disney movie “Bambi” – “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”
Column by Hunter Harrell, Features Editor