Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Yik Yak and Online Anonymity Are Good for College Students

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Rey Junco argues that the dangers of online harassment though anonymous messaging sites like YikYak are overstated. "Do issues of harassment happen on Yik Yak?" he asks. "Yes. Do they occur with a frequency that is disconcerting?" He does not state where he obtained these statistics, now what level of harassment constitutes "disconcerting" (one suspects he might have a higher tolerance for it than others). He also argues that Yik Yak has built-in measures to address harassment: "If a Yak or a comment receives 5 down votes, it is removed permanently from Yik Yak." My experience is that this is a mechanism more commonly used to stifle people objecting to harassing content.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
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Last Updated: Nov 13, 2024 8:27 p.m.

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