SGA to combat toxic comments on Yik Yak
On Feb. 28, the Student Government Association (SGA) sent an email to the student body about the dangers of Yik Yak.
A smartphone application on which users can post to an anonymous discussion board, Yik Yak has received both support and criticism for its lack of moderation.
SGA is particularly concerned about a number of hurtful posts that have surfaced throughout the semester.
“There have been a multitude of posts containing harmful language towards specific individuals and groups,” the SGA Executive Board wrote.
Some of the problematic messages contained homophobic, racist, or classist language, while others included accusations of sexual assault.
Recently, some posts have included inconsiderate comments about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. To curtail comments like these in the future, SGA urged Colby students to think before posting.
“When posting anything online, especially if anonymous, please consider how your words can affect others. We encourage students to create a positive community that aligns with Colby’s values of inclusivity and personal responsibility,” SGA wrote.
In the coming weeks, it will launch an educational program designed to combat toxic language on social media.
“We will be distributing infographics around campus soon that detail examples of how to avoid encouraging toxic interactions on Yik Yak and other forms of social media,” SGA wrote.
SGA also encouraged students to use Civil Discourse instead of Yik Yak. While not anonymous, Civil Discoursecan still be a platform for meaningful discussions.
The Colby Echo spoke with a few students about the role of Yik Yak on campus.
Owen Hobbs ’22, a long-time Yik Yak user, recently deleted the app. While he once enjoyed some of the humorous comments, he believes that the tenor of the app has changed. He has noticed that fewer Colby students than before use Yik Yak.
“It got kind of boring. I felt that it was like Instagram. I would scroll through looking for new posts, but there weren’t many entertaining ones,” he said.
Hobbs believes that, instead of a platform for comedy, Yik Yak has become a place of controversy.
“I think it’s an anonymized echo chamber for anyone who wants to say whatever they want. It doesn’t need to be fact-checked or accurate at all, and it can still gain traction,” Hobbs said.
He pointed to a specific example from last fall when Yik Yak users spread misinformation about one of the teams on campus.
“They got dragged through the mud all the time for almost two weeks,” he said. “It was bad optics for that team for no reason.”
Hobbs believes that Yik Yak is neither good nor bad. It could be a platform for both positive and negative discussion.
“It depends. It’s kinda whatever people use it for. I think people can make it bad if they want to, but it’s also pretty funny sometimes,” he said.
That said, he believes that other platforms are more conducive to discussing issues on campus.
“You can’t really make an argument on Yik Yak. You can only post ‘gotcha’ moments,” he said. “If there’s any serious issue, you should use something else.”
Ryan Darby ’23 agrees with Hobbs; however, he believes that the anonymity of Yik Yak benefits discussion.
“It can be a way for people to anonymously bring up issues about Colby that they’d be scared to bring up otherwise. Some people don’t always have the ability or confidence to bring up issues publicly, so they can do it anonymously on Yik Yak,” Darby said. “Civil Discourse allows for more discussion, but people might not be as honest as they would be on Yik Yak. They could be afraid people will judge them.”
Ironically, Darby first learned about SGA’s email on Yik Yak. He agrees with SGA that Civil Discourse allows for more comprehensive debates.
“On Yik Yak, you can say whatever you want, which isn’t always productive,” he said. “I don’t think Yik Yak is the most productive forum for sharing issues.”
It seems that the controversy over Yik Yak will continue until the College can offer a platform with the same anonymity.
~ Matt Rocha ’23
