Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree. Their app became popular as a place for uncensored, anonymous speech. When they started censoring and requiring usernames their customers spitefully deleted the app. There are so few places left in the US where someone can engage in free speech. Free speech is nearly nonexistent on college campuses. Yik Yak was offering a product users couldn't find anywhere else. But they threw it all away.
>There are so few places left in the US where someone can engage in free speech. What? Do you mean free speech or free speech free of repercussions?
The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
91–100 of 145 posts
Re: The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
#92Honestly, I don't get all the complaining from harassment. We live in a digital age where we can control a large amount of our information stream. If we don't like something, we just turn off the stream. It's like left-wing advocates and Fox. They don't like it, so they don't watch it. If you don't like what people are posting on some service, remove the service, inform people you know that you don't care about what'…
Re: The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you really confused? Leaving the law & federal funding requirements aside, Universities seek to have successful graduates & thus it is in their best interest to provide an environment that equips their students to learn. Being harassed undermines these goals, so regardless of the law, it is in their best interest to prevent such disruptions. I'm not sure I understand the bird analogy. Is the point that Universiti…
You bring up "interest" but original post is about "duty". They aren't the same thing. Universities might have an "interest" in protecting students from online harassment. That doesn't mean a lawsuit alleging the university has a "duty" to protect students from online harassment has merit.
But, yes, Universities also have legal duties to their students. However, these vary significantly based on too many different factors to speak usefully in generalities (eg based on city & state, public or private, is it a research university, is there some kind of consent decree, etc) and of course, the facts of each case.
More simply: whether a University has a legal duty to protect students from online harassment will depend on the specific situation, but, in all cases, the University will have an interest.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
#94If you really want local, anonymous communication, make a throwaway account on reddit and visit a given school's subreddit.
If you just want to shitpost, visit /b/.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
#95>two feminist groups and several former students filed a federal complaint accusing the University of Mary Washington...of failing to protect the female plaintiffs from cyber harassment... I am confused as to why anyone thinks its the University's duty to protect their students from "cyber harassment." I mean, I am aware of Title IX and all, I am just shocked at the amount of control, influence, and involvement into…
Why shouldn't the university offer some form of protection? Even if it's the form of blocking the app? The police clearly don't give a shit. Someone has to do something. What are universities doing with all that money they get from tuition?
Hiring more administrators and athletic coaches.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
#96I have little sympathy for Yik Yak. One of the other commenters mentioned that it was a forum for shitposting...it's true, almost exclusively. That's no business model. Good riddance. If you really want local, anonymous communication, make a throwaway account on reddit and visit a given school's subreddit. If you just want to shitpost, visit /b/.
Reddit also brings the issue that you're stuck talking to the same types of people - Generally young, white, nerdy guys. That girl on your rowing team or, the one you met in a club last week and oh so need to know the name of certainly has never heard of reddit - but she will have Yik Yak! The barrier to entry is so low, and it used to be a real talking point on campus. It was a social faux pas not to have it installed.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
Universities seek to have successful graduates Once, yes, but I wonder if that is true anymore in these days of $60k+/year fees. Do universities make more from undergrads or alumni donations these days? Because if their goal really is successful graduates then they are not setting their students up for success by policing every dispute. It would be completely different obv if YikYak was the "official" app on campus,…
Successful graduates become alumni who make donations. To be clear, no one is suggesting that Universities should be "policing every dispute." I am stating that Universities can and do seek to create the most effective learning environment for their students--and that harassment undermines this goal. This is why Universities, as indicated in the article, blocked (aka geofenced) YikYak (& though it is not mentioned, o…
Coddled students don't make successful graduates, as evidenced by the interns that were fired last year after writing a petition about the office dress code that they thought was unfair [2], failing to understand that their job was not a democracy.
Of course, there are times a university should get involved, such as if the harassment is coming from a professor or university-owned email address. But at some point, the most I think should be expected from the university would be a referral to a therapist so the student can work through things and learn coping strategies. It may sound callous to say, but like it or not there are plenty of things that can be upsetting, hurtful, or emotionally damaging to someone without actually being illegal or even reasonably preventable. The university could help to make their graduates successful by making sure they are capable of coping with this fact of life.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/opinion/sunday/judith-shu...
[2] https://www.inc.com/alison-green/about-those-interns-fired-f...
Re: The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
#98I have little sympathy for Yik Yak. One of the other commenters mentioned that it was a forum for shitposting...it's true, almost exclusively. That's no business model. Good riddance. If you really want local, anonymous communication, make a throwaway account on reddit and visit a given school's subreddit. If you just want to shitpost, visit /b/.
The ability to shitpost with all types of people from your university was the drawing factor. I am sure that 99.9% of people who go to my university have never heard of 4chan, and maybe 20% (probably less) will use Reddit on a regular basis? Reddit also brings the issue that you're stuck talking to the same types of people - Generally young, white, nerdy guys. That girl on your rowing team or, the one you met in a cl…
So it's all over now? Any alternatives?
Re: The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
You bring up "interest" but original post is about "duty". They aren't the same thing. Universities might have an "interest" in protecting students from online harassment. That doesn't mean a lawsuit alleging the university has a "duty" to protect students from online harassment has merit.
I was trying to leave law aside:) But, yes, Universities also have legal duties to their students. However, these vary significantly based on too many different factors to speak usefully in generalities (eg based on city & state, public or private, is it a research university, is there some kind of consent decree, etc) and of course, the facts of each case. More simply: whether a University has a legal duty to protec…
I (for one) believe universities should not have a legal duty to prevent online harrassment, even though it may be of interest to universities.
Re: The Rise and Fall of Yik Yak
#100Honestly, I don't get all the complaining from harassment. We live in a digital age where we can control a large amount of our information stream. If we don't like something, we just turn off the stream. It's like left-wing advocates and Fox. They don't like it, so they don't watch it. If you don't like what people are posting on some service, remove the service, inform people you know that you don't care about what'…