Move over Tinder; Yik Yak is the new number one app people are talking about here at the University of New Haven.

Yik Yak, an anonymous gossip app that launched in November 2013. “The app was founded by two Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers, Brooks Buffington and Tyler Droll, who graduated in 2013 from Furman University in South Carolina,” says Yik Yak’s official website.

Yik Yak is like an anonymous twitter. The news feed consists of all the anonymous “yaks” that people have posted in your area. The “yaks” can be voted “up” or “down” and can also replied to—anonymously, of course. Droll, one of the founders and CEO of the company, designed it to be similar to a “college bulletin board.”

When creating an account for Yik Yak you are asked to agree to a couple of rules:
1.“You do not bully or specifically target other yakkers
2.You DO NOT bully or specifically target other yakkers
3.Zero tolerance policy on posting people’s phone numbers
4.Don’t clutter people’s feeds with useless or offensive yaks. If you see a useless or offensive yak make sure to do your part by downvoting or reporting it
5.If your yaks continue to be downvoted or reported, you willl be suspended
6.Ride the Yak.”

These rules very clearly state NO BULLYING. However, bullying still occurs, just like it occurs on every other type of social media.

The only difference is that on Yik Yak, it’s not personalized, meaning one person is not being targeted and you don’t know who exactly is firing the shots. Those being targeted are not individuals; instead groups of people are being attacked. This is still bullying and can still affect individuals. Groups like Greek Organizations, sports teams, dorm buildings and specific dorm rooms are just examples of the groups being targeted on Yik Yak.

These stereotypes and rumors are associated with these groups for a reason; however, not everyone in these groups fulfill the stigmas of the stereotypes. These groups do have their stereotypes, but they do not apply to every member and there is no reason to be a bully about it.

Maybe those who are yakking about these groups should actually try to meet some of the people they are targeting instead of hiding behind their shields of social media and firing shots about things they know nothing about under the promise of anonymity.