Yik Yak

Yik Yak
Headquarters Atlanta, Georgia
Key people Tyler Droll (CEO)
Brooks Buffington (COO)
Industry Internet
Employees 60
Website yikyakapp.com
Registration None
Launched 2013
Current status Online
Written in Java, Objective-C

Yik Yak is a social media smartphone application. It is available for iOS and Android and it allows people to create and view discussion threads within a 5-mile radius (termed "Yaks" by the application).[1] It is similar to other anonymous sharing apps such as Nearby, but differs from others such as Whisper in that it is intended for sharing primarily with those in proximity to the user.[2] All users have the ability to contribute to the stream by writing, responding, and "voting up" or "voting down" (liking or disliking) yaks.

The developers of the app, Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington, are both graduates from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. The two started collaborating when they were placed into the same class where they learned how to code iPhone apps.[3] After graduating from Furman University, they decided to go full-time with the project. Droll dropped out of medical school just before it started and Buffington put his finance career on hold.[4] The two released the app in November 2013, and twelve months later, it was ranked as the 9th most downloaded social media app in the United States.[5] Droll and Buffington have continued their work on Yik Yak, taking measures to ensure its sustainability.[3]

On January 20, 2016, Yik Yak announced the web version of the app is available. [6]


History and financing

Yik Yak was launched in 2013 after CEO Tyler and COO Brooks graduated from Furman University. Yik Yak was originally funded by Atlanta Ventures and offices based in the Atlanta Tech Village, the city's premier startup incubator. As of April 22, 2014, the company announced that it had secured $1.5 million in funding from various companies such as Vaizra Investments, DCM, Kevin Colleran, and Azure Capital Partners. This funding came five months after Yik Yak was founded. This funding was intended to enhance the app, and to increase the amount of users both in the United States and overseas.[7] On June 30, 2014, a little over two months after the initial $1.5 million, Yik Yak secured $10 million from its previous investors, along with Renren Lianhe Holdings, and Tim Draper.[8] During the fall of 2014, with exponential user growth Yik Yak secured over $60 million from Sequoia Capital and other investors. This gave Yik Yak a valuation over $350 million, less than one year after launch.

Function

Yik Yak works by combining the technologies of GPS and instant messaging, allowing users to microblog to other nearby users. Before loading messages, the Yik Yak app determines the user's location and groups them into pockets of 1.5 mile (2.4 kilometre) radius zones. Within these zones, anyone inside the radius can post and read other people's “yaks”. Yik Yak is effectively an online bulletin board.[2] The developers use a technology called geofencing to attempt to minimize cyberbullying. Geofencing allows certain areas, such as middle schools and high schools, to be ‘fenced off’ using GPS technology. The app is then no longer accessible in the fenced-off area.[9] Yik Yak allows small communities to provide commentary on events in real time. When Senator Ted Cruz gave his speech announcing his bid for president at Liberty University, it was considered safe from protests because of the university's conservative background, but this did not prevent ridicule on Yik Yak.[10]

Features

Controversies

One of the biggest criticisms of social media sites and applications is their inherent potential to feed the growing amount of cyberbullying.[14] Due to the widespread bullying and harassment committed through Yik Yak, many schools and school districts have taken action to ban the app. These include several Chicago school districts,[15] Norwich University in Vermont,[16] Eanes Independent School District in Texas,[17] Lincoln High School district in Rhode Island,[18] New Richmond School District in Ohio,[19] Shawnigan Lake School in Canada and Pueblo County School District in Colorado.[20] Tatum High School in New Mexico banned cell phone use from the school due to Yik Yak,[21] and the Student Government Association at Emory University in Georgia attempted to ban the app across campus, but failed to do so after immense backlash from students.[22]

On May 13, 2015, Santa Clara University President Father Engh released a statement to all students after several racist remarks were posted on Yik Yak. He writes, “Hate speech, not to be confused with free speech, has no place at Santa Clara University, because it violates the dignity and respect with which each member of our community is entitled to be treated. Hurtful comments directed at individuals or groups diminish us all and create a divisive atmosphere of distrust and suspicion.”[23] This highlights the ethical controversy of cyberbullying and racism within the social media app.

On October 3, 2014, The Huffington Post published an editorial by Ryan Chapin Mach titled "Why Your College Campus Should Ban Yik Yak," which asserted that Yik Yak's anonymous messaging boards "are like bathroom stalls without toilets. They're useless, they're sources of unhelpful or harmful conversations, and they're a complete eyesore."[24]

To remedy the cases of bullying in middle and high schools around the country, Droll and Buffington amended the application to include geofences that work in the background. These unseen fences disable the application within their defined borders. At first these boundaries were installed manually by the developers, but it quickly became clear they would need outside assistance. They found this assistance in a Vermont-based company known as Maponics. Maponics “builds and defines geographic boundaries.” They happened to already have nearly 85% of the country’s high schools mapped, making it easy to block access to Yik Yak in those areas.[9] The fences are currently in effect mainly to disable the app on all middle and high school grounds throughout the country. If the app is opened within one of these areas the user is displayed a message along the lines of: “it looks like you’re trying to use Yik Yak on a middle school or high school grounds. Yik Yak is intended for people college-aged and above. The app is disabled in this area.”[25]

The frequency of bullying and harassment that happens on Yik Yak might be exaggerated by media stories citing specific incidents. Researchers have identified how Yik Yak is mostly used as a positive way to explore racial, ethnic, and sexual identities and to build a sense of community on campus.[26] Others have identified how Yik Yak gives marginalized students a voice on campus.[27]

In 2015, Yik Yak gained attention by being the subject of preventing a suicide attempt at the College of William and Mary.[28] Yik Yak has been praised and criticized regarding preventing suicide. On one hand, it gives people an outlet to share what they are thinking and in many cases they receive support to seek help. On the other hand, due to its anonymity the ability for others to help is limited. There has been controversy over the legality of its anonymity and what role Yik Yak should play in sharing that information.

In December 2014, security researchers discovered and demonstrated a potential attack on the service, where a Yik Yak user could have their account compromised and be deanonymised (having their identity revealed) if an attacker was using the same WiFi network.[29][30]

In February 2015, Yik Yak was exposed for systematically downvoting and deleting posts that mention competitors. The automatic system downvotes and deletes any posts that contain words that are associated with the names for other apps used by university students, including "fade," "unseen," "erodr," and "sneek." The downvoting algorithm, which assigns downvotes on regular intervals until the posts are deleted, appears designed to mislead users to thinking their posts are unpopular with their peers, rather than censored by Yik Yak itself.[31]

In December 2015 the SLOG and the Seattle Times reported that a Western Washington University student had been arrested and released on bail after calling for the lynching of the student body president of the university. The racist threats were posted on Yik Yak.[32][33]

Use in US politics

Digital director of Precision Strategy, Matthew McGregor has suggested that the 2016 Presidential election could be 'the Yik Yak election'.[34]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Legal". Yik Yak. 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-14. Yik Yak is an anonymous messaging app that allows users to create and view posts – called Yaks – within a 5 mile radius.
  2. 1 2 "Yik Yak". Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 Knibbs, Kate (Mar 21, 2014). "Is this the first anonymous app that understands the power of secrets?". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.thetowerlight.com/2014/04/qa-with-yikyak-co-creator-brooks-buffington/ Archived October 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ "Yik Yak Moves Into Top 10 Social Media Apps". Yik Yaker. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  6. ↑ Crook, Jordan (January 20, 2016). "Yik Yak Launches On The Web". TechCrunch.
  7. ↑ "Hyper-Local Social Messaging App Yik Yak Raises $1.5 Million in Funding" (Press release). Atlanta, GA: Yahoo Finance. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Shontell, Alyson (30 June 2014). "Yik Yak raises $10 million - Business Insider". Business Insider. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  9. 1 2 Graber, Diana (March 26, 2014). "Yik Yak App Makers Do the Right Thing". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  10. ↑ Sankin, Aaron (Mar 23, 2015). "What college students are saying behind Ted Cruz's back". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Wojdylo, Jesse (August 27, 2014). "How to Get More Yakarma on Yik Yak". Wojdylo Social Media. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  12. ↑ http://blog.yikyakapp.com/introducing-photos/
  13. ↑ Tepper, Fitz (Jul 15, 2015). "Yik Yak Introduces Photos, But No Faces Allowed". TechCrunch.
  14. ↑ Fye, Shaan (September 26, 2014). "Yik Yak: Why it Exists". The Atlas Business Journal. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  15. ↑ Rajwani, Naheed (March 7, 2014). "Yik Yak app disabled in Chicago amid principals' worries". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  16. ↑ Associated Press (September 24, 2014). "Vermont college blocks Yik Yak". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  17. ↑ Bramson, Lindsay (September 29, 2014). "Yik Yak bullying leads districts to ban app". NBC KXAN-TV. Austin, Texas. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  18. ↑ Bologna, Alison (October 2, 2014). "RI school district blocks Yik Yak". NBC 10. Cranston, Rhode Island. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  19. ↑ Jackson, Curtis (October 21, 2014). "School district bans Yik Yak app". CBS WKRC-TV. New Richmond, Ohio. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  20. ↑ Jackson, Curtis (October 23, 2014). "D70 officials spooked by online threat". The Pueblo Chieftain. Pueblo, Colorado. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  21. ↑ Younger, Emily (October 3, 2014). "'Yik Yak' app prompts school to ban cell phones". CBS KRQE. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  22. ↑ Rosenfeld, Alex (October 2, 2014). "Yik Yak Sows Hostility at Emory". The Emory Wheel. Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  23. ↑ "MESSAGE TO STUDENTS". Santa Clara University. 13 May 2015.
  24. ↑ Mach, Ryan Chapin (October 3, 2014). "Why Your College Campus Should Ban Yik Yak". Huffington Post. New York, New York. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  25. ↑ Perez, Sarah (Mar 13, 2014). "Amid Bullying & Threats Of Violence, Anonymous Social App Yik Yak Shuts Off Access To U.S. Middle & High School Students". TechCrunch.
  26. ↑ Junco, Rey (March 17, 2015). "Yik Yak and Online Anonymity are Good for College Students". Wired. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  27. ↑ Hess, Amanda (October 28, 2015). "Don't ban Yik Yak". Slate. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  28. ↑ "On College Campuses, Suicide Intervention Via Anonymous App". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  29. ↑ "Yik Hak: Smashing the Yak". 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  30. ↑ Dredge, Stuart (2014-12-09). "Yik Yak hack is latest warning of the risks of 'anonymous' messaging apps". Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  31. ↑ Constine, Josh (Feb 17, 2015). "Yik Yak Systematically Downvotes Mentions Of Competitors". TechCrunch. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  32. ↑ Herz, Ansel (Dec 2, 2015). "The Morning News: Starbucks Launches Coffee Delivery, WWU Student Accused of Making Racist Threats Arrested". The Stranger.
  33. ↑ Broom, Jack; Long, Katherine (December 1, 2015). "Bail set at $10,000 for WWU student accused of racist threats". The Seattle Times.
  34. ↑ YahooPolitics (12 Nov 2015). ".@mcgregormt "2016 will be the Yik-Yak election" #DigitalDemocracy" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via Twitter.

External links

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