Jodel and Yik Yak’s Destructive Impacts on Higher Education
What are Jodel and Yik Yak?
Jodel and YikYak are two anonymous hyperlocal social media apps that have taken American college and university campuses by storm. These social media apps offer users an online experience that is distinctly different from that found on traditional social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter - they allow social media users to create an “anonymous” profile. Increasingly popular among Millennial and Gen Z college students, Yik Yak has the majority market share of civilian college students attending both private and public higher education institutions. Meanwhile, Jodel remains a favorite of students at federal service academies and senior military colleges in the United States.
Anonymous hyperlocal social media apps, such as Jodel and Yik Yak, support a geographically-restricted online community where users can post their uncensored thoughts and feelings. In theory, Jodel and YIk Yak users can post anything - inaccurate information, threats of violence, hate speech, etc. - without fear of being held accountable for their actions. These social media features appeal to this new generation of social media users - a generation that has witnessed firsthand how one’s social media activity can lead to adverse career outcomes and celebrities being “canceled.” While one would hope this observation would inspire social media users to be more responsible with their online conduct, such has not been the case on many college and university campuses.
Jodel and Yik Yak: Cesspools of Cyberbullying, Hate Speech, and Harassment
Many Jodel and YikYak users demonstrate a desire to “have their cake and eat it too” - they want to freely express themselves online without fear of repercussions from their unprofessional online activity. As a result, many of these hyperlocal online communities have emerged as cesspools of cyberbullying, hate speech, and harassment explicitly targeted at college and university community members. Many college and university-affiliated Jodel and Yik Yak communities are filled with antisemitism, homophobia, Islamaphobia, sexism, and racism.
Unfortunately, due to the seemingly anonymous nature of the app's user profiles, on-campus harassers aggressively target students, staff, and faculty with merciless cyberbullying without accountability for their harmful actions. Most colleges and universities fail to implement effective response strategies for mitigating this digital onslaught of harassment. As a consequence, such destructive online content has the potential to negatively impact the affiliated college or university’s culture, operations, recruitment, and reputation.
Harmful Hyperlocal App Content Includes Threats of Suicide, Terrorism, and Violence
College and university-connected Jodel and Yik Yak online communities are also observed to promote acts of self-harm and encourage suicidal ideation. Unfortunately, there have been multiple cases of student suicides linked to harassing content posted to anonymous hyperlocal communities affiliated with higher education populations. Self-harm promotion and posts containing suicidal ideation are particularly concerning when posted to Jodel or Yik Yak, as effective suicide intervention is challenging due to the anonymity features. In 2020, the United States Naval Academy reported that a midshipman had threatened suicide via the Jodel community affiliated with the prestigious service academy. Multiple media outlets covered the news, presenting questions related to the academy’s mental health resources, organizational culture and morale, and leadership during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, calls for acts of violence and acts of domestic terrorism have been observed in these college and university-affiliated online communities. For example, in 2022, Washington and Lee University - a quaint four-year university nestled in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley - received notice that a bomb threat had been made on the campus-affiliated Yik Yak community. Law enforcement was notified, and campus buildings were evacuated while an investigation occurred. Similar threats of terrorism have occurred on Yik Yak communities affiliated with Western Kentucky University, the University of Missouri, Penn State, and the University of Utah. In 2014, cadets at the Citadel - a senior military college located in historic Charleston, South Carolina - attempted to organize a violent riot via their campus-affiliated Yik Yak community.
Unfortunately, threatening content posted to Jodel and Yik Yak doesn’t always stop at online discourse. In 2015, an undergraduate student attending the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was abducted and murdered after receiving multiple threats on Yik Yak. This, and other disturbing incidences of acts of violence, were cited as reasons why Yik Yak was closed down in 2017; however, in 2021, Yik Yak was re-launched. While the company claims to have implemented additional community guidelines to limit bullying and hate speech on the apps, such modifications remain ineffective in curbing such disturbing behavior by users.
Jodel and YikYak’s Negative Impacts on Colleges and Universities
Content posted to Jodel and Yik Yak can have extensive negative effects on the college or university’s ability to recruit students and employees, tarnish the organization’s established reputation, and diminish organizational morale and cohesion across the campus community.
Potential Negative Impacts of Jodel and Yik Yak Content on Higher Education Institutions:
Decreased organizational morale
Decline in student applications and recruitment
Increased employee turnover
Failure to retain students
Negative publicity that damages the organization's reputation
Loss of trust in the organization and leadership
Shifts in organizational culture that embraces harassment and hate speech as "acceptable" conduct
In our Digital Age, prospective students and employees evaluating the organization often review user-generated content (UGC) associated with higher education institutions. Prospective students and employees may view UGC as a more accurate and authentic view of what the organization is actually like vs. what they claim to be. When an organization's digital footprint includes such disturbing content, as seen with many college and university-affiliated Jodel and Yik Yak communities, such discovery may lead people to choose other colleges and universities. What student wants to attend a college or university where students are routinely cyberbullied? What professor wants to take a job at an institution where lecturing will be accompanied by aggressive online harassment? Digital content has the potential to impact the physical world, and the organization as a whole.
Content posted to Jodel and Yik Yak doesn’t stay on Jodel and Yik Yak; instead, implications of this social media content have the potential to ripple through affiliated communities, impacting both the digital and physical work. Media outlets may review hyperlocal social media content and use such communication as supporting evidence in publications that result in extensive brand damage to higher education institutions. Essentially, student-generated Jodel and Yik Yak content that is malicious has the potential to devalue degrees issued through formerly reputable colleges and universities. While this sounds like a counter-intuitive action (what student wants to decrease the value of their degree?), it is an unfortunate reality at many colleges and universities across the country.
What does the future hold for Jodel and Yik Yak?
Hyperlocal social media apps such as Jodel and Yik Yak are not going away; instead, they are rapidly increasing in popularity among college and university communities. While Yik Yak was temporarily shuttered in 2017, its comeback in 2021 has resulted in a surge in app downloads. If left to run their course, anonymous hyperlocal social media apps can have very destructive impacts on established organizations and the diverse communities they serve.
New anonymous hyperlocal apps, such as Fizz and Sidechat, are rapidly emerging on the scene of Generation Z’s favorite downloads. At Stanford University, approximately 95% of undergraduate students have downloaded the Fizz app. While Fizz claims to prioritize advanced moderation features, proof of such accomplishments has yet to be seen. Sidechat is a similar app that’s currently active at elite Ivy leagues, such as Harvard and Princeton. While a relatively new app, Sidechat quickly divulged into a vile and toxic online space where community members are often subject to severe harassment. The continued development of anonymous hyperlocal app alternatives - and their growing popularity across higher education communities - may be indicative of the feature priorities of Generation Z, and the evolving role social media plays in modern life.
Colleges and universities have a responsibility to ensure academic spaces, both on- and offline, are safe for all community members. Higher education organization-affiliated Jodel and Yik Yak communities threaten security on multiple fronts. Harassing and threatening content posted to Jodel and Yik Yak can have long-term negative effects on the school’s culture, mission, and reputation.
A Solution to the Negative Effects of Jodel and Yik Yak:
For years, higher education administrators have cited the anonymity features of popular hyperlocal social media apps as why they are unable to take any actions toward mitigating this destructive online activity; however, effective solutions are now available. Our approach is customized, human-centric, responsive, and empowering. We analyze the unique role hyperlocal social media apps fill at each organization, evaluate the impact of user-generated content, and develop a customized intervention and response strategy that integrates the organization’s culture and values.
Next Steps:
If your college or university is looking for consulting and support services to combat the negative effects of anonymous hyperlocal communities, please contact us to discuss available support options.
We have demonstrated past performance in supporting colleges and universities. Our team is skilled at developing and implementing effective solutions to dynamic challenges facing higher education institutions.
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