It’s no secret that social media has exploded in popularity over the last decade. With media powerhouses such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok gaining immense popularity with the American and global public, a relatively new social media platform has taken root especially among college students – YikYak.

YikYak presents the ultimate social media site for the average college student; it allows you to post anonymous messages for people within five miles to see. Users can vent about their roommate’s dirty habits, complain about homework and rant about how fall break should be two weeks instead of five days. Essentially, the app offers you to speak your mind without any repercussions. What could go wrong?

Because of its allure, many students at the University have used YikYak. However despite its pros, YikYak has a number of concerning cons. For example, many students have reported taking two and a half hour YikYak breaks instead of doing their 100 page Middle Eastern History reading due the next day. The University, claiming to want to do what is best for its students, has thus banned YikYak for the foreseeable future. 

The consequences of “The Big Ban” as people have been calling it, have been very interesting to observe. Students who once had the comfort of communicating through their phones now have to face the biggest challenge of their lives: talking to people face to face. Many students have reported having difficulty in this regard, as many have claimed that they do not remember life before YikYak, a time when people had to use their mouths to communicate. For many, that feels like a lifetime ago.

The transition to a YikYak-free lifestyle has been challenging for many. Students now have to ask themselves a myriad of questions that did not exist before The Big Ban, such as, “How do I express what I think about things now that it’s not anonymous?” and “How do I know that people like me without getting any upvotes?”.

Students should know that they need not be alone during a time like this. There are numerous resources here at the University that are designed to help those who might feel alone in a time like this. For example, the Linguistics Department has advertised “talking lessons” for those that no longer remember how to speak words with their mouths.

Just remember, there are always solutions to your problems. Reach out to those you love, particularly those who have also had trouble adjusting to The Big Ban; but just be sure to text them so they don’t have to speak.