Nrsdb4, I think it comes around in a new incarnation every few years. I remember there was something big when I was in high school.
I’ll never understand the appeal of anonymous things like that. It’s just so easy to bully or be rude when you’re anonymous. Really brings out the worst in people. (It’s also why I have an extension on my browser which blocks all comments on news sites and whatnot.)
I’ve never looked at Yik Yak, but I do frequently read the online campus newspaper of my kids’ college. I enjoy seeing what’s going on there.
I kind of get the sense it’s sort of a Reddit - sometimes it’s just innocuous discussion, other times … who knows.
My son wouldn’t stop talking about Yik Yak when he came home for Thanksgiving, so I took a peek to see what it was all about. I didn’t find my son’s school too interesting… but the Yaks at my daughter’s school were hilarious! I couldn’t stop reading them for a couple days because they were so entertaining. Funny thing is, she doesn’t even use Yik Yak (I told her she should take a look!).
I look at it when I visit schools. They do NOT all look alike. For one thing, the quality of the grammar/spelling varies a lot from school to school. So does the level of wit. So does the prevalence of misogyny.
My daughter’s comment about YikYak over Christmas: her liberal LAC vs the state flagship party school in our hometown–really different types of comments, but they are both mostly about sex. I thought that was funny.