Yik Yak’s Back | PLUGHITZ Live
Yik Yak went out of business four years ago, but out of nowhere, it resurfaced. Is it here to stay? Get some insights about this chaotic app; keep reading!
Yik Yak went out of business four years ago, but out of nowhere, it resurfaced. Is it here to stay or to drag itself again? If you don’t know what Yik Yak was, lucky you. However, we’ll go through the internet’s meanest social media basics and what it means for it to be running again.
Want some insights about this chaotic app? Keep reading and be updated on the most relevant tech news of the month.
What Was Yik Yak About?
Yik Yak was focused on local and anonymous communication. It had some controversy surrounding it because of its location-based feature, which allowed users to post messages anonymously within a short radius.
The app faced legal trouble for allowing harassment on the platform and ultimately shut down due to these issues in 2017. Just so you can have an idea of how bad this app was being used and managed, the users filled it with sexual harassment and even some bomb threats.
Because of the anonymous and location-based feature, bullying was a major thing among students. Those harassment issues lead schools to ban it.
It was the first entirely toxic social network.
The New Yik Yak
The company’s website claims that new owners acquired the platform in February 2021.
The new owners want to position the platform on the right path, but they’re not doing enough good changes. The foundation of the platform — being anonymous and hyper-local — would still be there.
No one expects the new owners to stop all the hatred and harassment this app draws. However, they think they have a plan: the new Yik Yak is being run by Community Guardrails, which will ensure that bullying and hate speech are not allowed.
The statement from the company is: “If someone bullies another person (…) or in any way seriously violates the Community Guardrails or Terms of Service, they can be immediately banned from Yik Yak. One strike, and you’re out.”
Want To Know the Forecast For The “New” Yik Yak?
If you want an expanded article on this topic, check out our blog, The Upstream. As PLUGHITZ Live, we’re committed to bringing factual information regarding the news we share, along with our hosts Avram and Scott’s POVs and insights.
Learn more about our take on Yik Yak’s comeback and find out about the forecast for the app at the PLUGHITZ Live’s show, F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.
