In 2017, the social media app Yik Yak, an anonymous sharing app that has discussion threads within a five mile radius and specifically created for college campuses, was removed from the App Store due to a lack of user engagement.

The app made a return this year on Aug 15, 2021 with launch on the Apple app store and a Tik Tok account pushing out the release. I spoke with previous user, Sharon Burr, about her history with the app.

The app made a return this year on Aug 15, 2021 with launch on the Apple app store and a Tik Tok account pushing out the release. I spoke with previous user, Sharon Burr, about her history with the app.

“I first heard of it when I was in high school, I was a theatre kid. Everybody used that to talk about each other,” said Shannon Burr, graduate student in vocal performance.

Usage of the app varies and currently there are around 100 Yaks on the app, but some students don’t think that the app’s re-emergence is a positive.

“I saw that it was coming back on Tik Tok and I’m like, oh, no,” Burr said.

Not all students agree with the devious usage and see it as an opportunity to shed light on controversies.

Tia Lee, freshman environmental engineering major, said, “It’s good sometimes when you need to get something off your chest.”

Matthew Tijerina, senior psychology major, similarly said, “I feel like most of the time people just need to spit out.”

The anonymous foundation of the app allows people to put their thoughts out in the marketplace without worrying about retribution from their social groups or organizations. The app does keep track of your information, as the app does not allow threats of violence or derogatory comments about individual people on their platform.

Common answers found from interviews were that the regular usage for social media isn’t for gossiping, but for connecting with friends and family over long distances.

“Mostly just to communicate with other people and see what my friends are up to,” Willcox said.

Social media allows for the distance between people to shrink and allows for people to have immediate conversations from pretty much anywhere in the world.

As the app is new, lots of people haven’t heard of it. But as time passes, we will see if the app makes a successful comeback.

“Kind of depends if I want to see the tea on campus,” Willcox said.

“I’ll try it again, it just depends on if I’m on campus or not,” Schlenker said.

If you would like to try out the app, people can download it for free from the Apple app store. As of today, the app sits at number 10 in the app store and the only requirement is for you to have an Apple device and to be over the age of 12 years old.