Yik Yak gained immense popularity among college students and was used for various purposes, including sharing campus news, jokes, secrets, and engaging in discussions about local events. However, the anonymity feature also led to problems, as some users used the platform to engage in cyberbullying, harassment, or the spread of harmful rumors. As a result of these issues and controversies, Yik Yak faced significant challenges in terms of content moderation and safety. In 2017, the company behind Yik Yak announced that they would be shutting down the app due to these issues and declining user engagement. On August 15, 2021, Yik Yak announced via their official website that they were making a comeback, with the app available for download on iOS.
Yik Yak was acquired by Sidechat in March 2023. Sidechat is a company that specializes in building anonymous social apps for colleges. After the acquisition, Sidechat announced that it would be making some changes to Yik Yak, including removing the ability to post anonymously and limiting users to communicating with people in their school.
These changes have been met with backlash from Yik Yak users. Many users have taken to social media to express their anger and frustration. Some users have even started a petition to demand that Sidechat revert the changes.
Sidechat has defended the changes, arguing that they are necessary to make Yik Yak a safer and more welcoming community. The company has also said that it is committed to listening to feedback from users and making adjustments as needed.
It remains to be seen whether Sidechat will be able to win over Yik Yak users. However, the backlash from users is a sign that the company will need to be careful in how it implements the changes.
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Key Features
- Must Be an active college student
- YikYak asks that users sign up with school email
- Currently only available on iOS (as of 10/15/2023)