I don’t know if you have heard, but there is this new app called “Yik Yak,” meant for anonymous “tweeting.”
Personally, I do not have it, and I am really glad that I do not.
This social media outlet meant to invoke laughter has caused nothing but the opposite.
Apparently, when you first download the app it displays the rules of “Yik Yak” and the first two are based on a growing problem. Rule one is you do not bully or specifically target other “yakkers” and rule two is you DO NOT bully or specifically target other “yakkers.”
Now, I am not sure if people just didn’t read them or just didn’t for some reason understand those two basic rules because that is exactly what most people are doing – bullying and specifically targeting other “yakkers.”
This app uses your radius to find other “yakkers” within your proximity. That means some Gannon students are bullying one another.
This app was probably very fun when it first started out. But now it is a glorified bullying app.
The lacrosse team is being targeted along with every other sports team and most of Greek Life.
Anonymously, people are bullying the women’s lacrosse team with very false and discriminating personal opinions that should never be expressed in social media. Not only does this affect my teammates and me, this affects the majority of the population at Gannon who are athletes or involved in Greek life.
We live in a technological era where we have everything at our fingertips and we choose to abuse it for the sole purpose of hurting others? It is disappointing that some people on a college campus cannot be mature enough to respect one another and use the app for its initial intentions – funny anonymous quotes and thoughts.
A reputation can now be tarnished in just a minute using 140 characters.
My teammates are extremely upset about these posts made on this “bully free” app and I don’t blame them.
Disrespecting people has never been funny and never will be. The only reason this hatred is coming out is because people are hiding behind their phone screens and have nothing better to do with their Wi-Fi.
BECKY HILKER
