The “Mean Girls” Burn Book has gone paperless, reducing the carbon footprint of Plastics everywhere – or at least within a 1.5-mile radius, one yak at a time.
Fresh to the world of social media, the app Yik Yak is sweeping high schools and college campuses throughout the nation. Originally designed for virtual bulletin postings, Yik Yak is a location-based anonymous posting site that psychiatrists say has taken cyber-bullying to a new level.
“The new Yik Yak app, originally designed for college campuses, is the most dangerous form of social media I’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Keith Ablow, of Fox News Medical A-Team.
According to Ablow, the anonymity of the app provides users with the confidence to post anything, regardless of the truth behind the statement. Additionally, he said the geographical restrictions of the app make it exceptionally harmful for populations in a confined area, such as a school or college campus.
“Anyone using Yik Yak can turn a school into a virtual chat room where everyone can post his or her comments, anonymously,” said Ablow. “Untruthful, mean, character-assassinating short messages are immediately seen by all users in a specific geographic area.”
These concerns have been mirrored by educators across the nations who have taken the initiative to block the use of the app from their school servers. Neighboring Norwich University recently made the decision to block the app, however, students are still able to utilize it via their own data plans.
Yik Yak is still free reigning on Castleton’s campus.
Over the past few weeks, students have abandoned their character and the pride that comes with attaching their name to something and succumbed to the comfort that anonymity provides.  
Yak by yak we are tarnishing not only the reputations of individuals, but also of the college that prides itself on having such a strong sense of community. Posts have been made falsely accusing specific individuals of drug addictions and pregnancies, accusing groups of targeting women with date rape drugs, questioning students sexual orientation, and much more.
This app is for the spineless, for those without the confidence or the audacity to state their own opinions. Every person may not like what you have to say, but have some confidence in your convictions and take ownership of your words.
If you cannot claim your own words than what as an individual can you claim?
-Molly DeMellier