Have you ever wondered what would happen if anonymous commenters weren’t so anonymous anymore? Well, Yik Yak is asking the same thing.
Yik Yak, the social media app that allows people to post comments anonymously, has just begun a new system of allowing its users to choose screen names. According to The Huffington Post, this new feature is “designed to increase engagement and attract new users from outside their core base of college students.” It may also decrease the amount of cyberbullying and hateful comments that occur when people know that no one can trace their words back to them (Don’t forget though—If you make threats on Yik Yak, police can work with the app to find out your real identity, and they can arrest you).
Only one person can claim a Yik Yak screen name. This will prevent people from impersonating others, The Huffington Post reports. However, users can turn the screen name on and off—So Yakkers are not going to be forced to tie all their posts to an identity just yet.
Fingers crossed that users will finally start to take responsibility for what they say online instead of hiding behind the mask of anonymity.