What Makes a Yik Yak a Yik Yak?

     Yik Yak is a form of social media that is used mostly by high school students and college students. It is not as well used as other social media sites, but is still well known by young adults. You must be at least 18 years old to have a Yik Yak account and your posts must oblige by the contract that you are permitted to accept when you set up your account.

     There are a variety of conventions surrounding what makes a Yik Yak a Yik Yak. For example, a Yik Yak is always anonymous. They are also based on your current location, so someone from Santa Barbara can only read Yik Yaks within Santa Barbara. Yik Yaks are usually unoriginal thoughts, such as quotes stolen from other sources. They are vaguely funny, and if the original Yik Yak itself is not funny, one of the responses is bound to be funny. Yik Yaks may include some poor advice directed towards a certain crowd. Some Yik Yaks are a bit darker and people will ask for actual advice concerning issues within their life, but they are still pretty lighthearted. People can be rude to one another and are not afraid to really speak their mind. Cyber bullying is definitely present on Yik Yak.

     Some people use Yik Yak in hopes of hooking up or making friends, but the majority of people are not actually willing to exchange contact information.  Most Yik Yaks are crude and sexual. They tend to be misogynistic, and usually consist of young men impersonating young women in order to get a response. Most Yik Yaks are composed during the late night and by intoxicated people. Yik Yaks are facetious, so the majority of people can get a good laugh. The whole point of posting Yik Yaks is to get as many likes as possible. The maximum word count is 200 words, which is enough to keep the audience interested. The majority of Yik Yaks are inappropriate and it is obvious that they are directed towards a more immature crowd. There is a section on Yik Yak consisting of what is peeking during the day. It can include anything from sports, to schools, to the entire week in review. Pictures can be posted, but not videos. It also includes people complaining about schoolwork and work. For many, it is an easy way to procrastinate or to waste time when you are bored. Yik Yaks also include corny jokes, usually stolen from other social media sites, such as Twitter or Tumblr. They consist of gossip and rumors in regards to lighthearted social situations, but they tend to never focus on serious topics such as religion or politics. They also consist of insecure people looking for a confidence booster and who are fishing for compliments to boost their self-esteem. Overall, Yik Yak allows young adults to anonymously interact with one another as a way to waste time and produce a funny reaction.