Wisdom is found within the collared shirt. That’s the word on the street at least. And by street, I mean Yik Yak, the anonymous micro blog that is taking LSU — and particularly LSU Greek Life — by storm. Users can post anything they want under any name and get away with it because no one knows who posted it.
The aforementioned “wisdom” was posted under the name “Eli Haddow” on the iPhone app — I assume it was intended for me — and I will never know who did it.
Does this bother me?
Not at all. First of all, it’s not that clever. Second, it’s what one has to expect if they are willing to throw themselves into the gauntlet that the app has become.
Users are allowed to post “Yaks” in what becomes something of a Twitter feed for trash talkers and wannabe comedians. If you send a Yak, it goes out to the nearest 500 phones.
The app serves mainly as a pseudo-clever trash-talking wall for the Greek community. Except for the odd claim that someone is doing lines of cocaine in the Middleton bathroom.
That’s not anything to joke about, and whoever posted it is a liar.
Perhaps the best part about the app is that everyone has the unrestrained ability to speak their mind. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, where there is some pretense to be who you say you are — catfish excluded — Yik Yak has a level playing field of anonymity that celebrates satire and cynicism above all else.
While this sometimes leads to racism, sexism and other offensive -isms, for the most part the banter is in good fun.
The top post on my app right now is: “There’s a special place in hell for people who send out mass emails asking for notes.”
It’s simple, it’s clever enough and it belittles a large demographic of students who don’t have the decency to admit failure. Because, let’s face it, those notes aren’t going to get you an A on that test.
It’s good that there is finally a tool we can use to let off some steam. Yik Yak gives us the opportunity to do this without really hurting feelings. That is, unless you are one of those people who cares what is anonymously posted about you on an iPhone app.
Because we are in college and we tend to do things we wouldn’t like anyone else to know about, an app like this can become dangerous. It’s the responsibility of all students to adhere to the unwritten code that you don’t post actual information about people, you just do your best to make them feel embarrassed for the few hours the Yak will be visible.
As I mentioned before, Yik Yak is seemingly most popular among members of the Greek community. This is not to say, though, that the best Yaks are about Greek organizations. In fact, all of the humor can be summed up in about three statements. Sig Eps are actually girls, Lamda Chis are children and Fijis are overly committed to athletics — I’ll leave it at that.
These generalizations have been worn out, and the app has taken a favorable turn toward personal assaults like the one I mentioned about myself.
We’re no longer in high school or middle school, so I believe I can condone this form of “cyberbullying” as long as it continues to operate in a no-harm-no-foul manner. The only danger is if it spreads to younger people who don’t really understand how to give and take insults.
It’s good to be made fun of every once in a while, so go to the appstore and download Yik Yak. And, if you aren’t funny, don’t try to be. Downvotes exist for a reason.
Eli Haddow is a 21-year-old English and history junior from New Orleans.