Controversial App Sweeps over Arrowhead

Watch out, Twitter, and move over, Facebook. There’s a new social media website in town.

However, this site is not here to update friends what was for dinner last night or post a picture of a dress worn to a party.  Instead, Yik Yak is at Arrowhead as well as other schools in the area it is in full swing to criticize, demoralize, and bully the student body.

Yik Yak became available in the App store in fall of 2013. The creators of Yik Yak, fraternity brothers Tyler Drood and Brooks Buffington, intended Yik Yak for college students to share funny and creative thoughts with other students around their campus within a 1.5 mile radius anonymously.

However, Arrowhead students are taking something meant for college students and misusing it by bullying and taking advantage of how  the app is anonymous.

The creators have set rules for their fellow yakkers : “Rule 1: You do not bully or specifically target other yakkers. Rule 2: You DO NOT bully or specifically target other yakkers. “

Along with that, Yik Yak also says users should be posting quality content: “Yaks should not join a herd until they are mature enough, so no one under the college age should be on Yik Yak.”

According to the Boston Globe, Drood and Buffington used GPS technology to block around 85% of middle schools as well as high schools. Unfortunately Arrowhead fell in the 15%, until recently.

When Yik Yak was not blocked, many students at Arrowhead fallen victim to cyber bullying enhanced by Yik Yak this previous week.

“Herds of yaks are strongest when they work together and watch each other’s backs,” says the Yik Yak app.

That is something that Arrowhead students have not adhered to while yakking.

Arrowhead pride’s itself on the “One Team” motto as well as the “Arrowhead Way.” But in no way were students, “being appropriate, being responsible, and being respectful” on Yik Yak.

Pete Nejedlo, associate principal of Arrowhead High School, had a lot to say about the outbreak of the app.

“I am extremely disappointed at what happened. However, I cannot give out a punishment to those involved with the app due to the anonymity. The app is now blocked by Arrowhead’s IT department as well as Yik Yak,” said Nejedlo.

Efforts went as far as having the recent outbreak and misuse of Yik Yak reported by  local television station TMJ4 Wednesday evening. The school administration also sent out school wide emails to parents warning about the dangers of the site and the bullying taking place on the app.

Steve Melzer, an Arrowhead business instructor, first heard about the app through his students during class on Wednesday.

“All my students started talking about what they saw on Yik Yak and how it was cool but also bad,” said Melzer.

Not only are administrators and staff disappointed about what occurred on Yik Yak, but students are as well.

Gina Vilar, an Arrowhead senior, says she was embarrassed about what her fellow classmates were saying about others in their school.

“Yik Yak was meant to post funny and random things for others to laugh at, not make fun of other students. Arrowhead students took it too far,” says Vilar.

With the recent blow up of Yik Yak, it’s hard to tell if it’s just another app like Ask.fm, which will fade fast or if it will stay around for awhile. However what we do know is that Arrowhead’s administration strongly urge students to not be involved with Yik Yak.