Psychiatrist’s view: Yik Yak is most dangerous app I’ve ever seen
By Dr. Keith Ablow
Published May 09, 2014
FoxNews.com
Click here to read a letter from Dr. Fishbein to Ridgewood parents and guardians, regarding the negative use of the new social media app Yik Yak by teens.
Here’s something important our society seems to be afraid to say out loud: Despite its name, “social media” is an inherently antisocial medium.
As a psychiatrist I can tell you that Facebook contributes to narcissism, depression and impaired interpersonal relationships. This likely happens because users craft appealing profiles of themselves, twisting their stories along the way, fooling themselves into thinking they have hundreds or thousands of “friends” and finally using a keystroke to block unwanted feedback.
Thank you, Mark Zuckerberg.
But the new Yik Yak app, originally designed for college campuses, is the most dangerous form of social media I’ve ever seen.
Yik Yak can turn a school into a virtual chat room where everyone can post his or her comments, anonymously. Untruthful, mean, character-assassinating short messages are immediately seen by all users in a specific geographic area.
According to ABC News: “Yik Yak works like an anonymous bulletin board, displaying messages from people in a user’s area that can be voted ‘up’ or ‘down’ on the page. Tyler Droll, founder and CEO of Yik Yak, said the app was designed to be like ‘a city’s central plaza or campus bulletin board.’”
“‘Yik Yak users interact with everyone around them,’ Droll said.
“’Yakking’ is the welcoming, authentic and anonymous version of tweeting.”
Translation: Anyone using Yik Yak can turn a school into a virtual chat room where everyone can post his or her comments, anonymously. Untruthful, mean, character-assassinating short messages are immediately seen by all users in a specific geographic area.
If a student writes, “Susie has an STD,” there’s no way to know if the “yak” is true. But hundreds of other students may see the electronic message, leaving it to the target to defend herself.
Psychologically, Yik Yak actually removes all pretense of being a person with empathy, genuinely connected to other human beings.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/05/09/psychiatrist-view-yik-yak-is-most-dangerous-app-ive-ever-seen/
Unfortunately Yik Yak is just the latest mole to whack. We may be able to limit it use or get rid of it altogether but there will be another one just like it along 5 minutes later. Maybe as parents we should step up and teach our kids about respect, responsibility and self confidence instead of focusing our fear and rage at this and other social media outlets.
I installed Yik Yak a couple weeks ago to see what it was about and 99% of the posts are pure sophomoric drivel. Hopefully this should dilute some of the sting associated with the other 1% assuming it’s at all dangerous or hurtful. Comments like “Jimmy is a poopy head” should raise as much concern for our kids collective intelligence level as anything else.
A notice went out that some kid posted something about shooting up a school and the police didn’t seem to give it any credence whatsoever. After reading a couple of days worth of posts myself I have to say that I’m not very concerned either.
I don’t disagree with the doctor here in that the Ap, like any social media outlet, has the potential to be used as a vehicle for hate and bullying. I also agree that social media in general has begun to replace real human interaction and conversation with horrible consequences.
As parents it’s our job to teach our kids about responsible, moderate use of social media since it’s probably here to stay. As for Yik Yak, my message to my kids is why would you want to associate with the morons that post on it in the first place?
I browsed Yik Yak last night after reading Fishbein’s letter, very disturbing posts everywhere. Much higher than 1%. Teach our children well, yes, but don’t stop being vigilant about taking weapons out of their hands at the same time.
Does the world need another useless “social” app?
I look forward to the day when great minds work to solve real world problems, not create another stupid app.
I just looked at it and there were mean things posted about students. It is just another platform for adolescents to rip on each other.
Time and time again, we see comments about how we need to “teach our kids” this or “keep an eye on what they’re up to”. The real world is very different from the one we pretend is out there. Even in the best of families, kids are in the business of being kids. They are mostly pretty nice kids, but a big part of being a kid is doing stuff that your parents don’t know about. If you honestly think you know what they do, say, look-up, tc., online, then you are either operating a kind of super surveilance program, or you are delusional. Kids between the ages of 13 and 15, particularly girls, also seem to go through a stage where they play a role in ultra competetive bahavior that can border on pure nastiness.