Social media is a part of daily life in this modern age. People are constantly connected to the internet through various devices, always looking for the next big thing to download and get sucked into. Yik Yak, a new social media app has surfaced and is taking college communities by storm. Oakland is no exception.

According to a Business Insider article on the app, Yik Yak recently secured $10 million in funding from Renren Lianhe Holdings, DCM, Azure Capital Partners and Tim Draper. The app was created by fraternity brothers Brooks Buffington and Tyler Droll from Furman University in South Carolina. The two graduated from the university in 2013.

Yik Yak is a place for anyone to vent, complain, tell jokes, post personals or whatever else they feel like sharing. It is similar to Twitter but is completely anonymous. There are no accounts and no passwords. No username or log-in required. 

The app brings a lot of opportunity for Oakland students to connect, but it can be easily abused.

“The app can be fun but can be harmful at the same time,” OU student Victoria Franso said. “It is linked to cyber bullying and when the app first hit Oakland, there was, and has been, a lot of trash talking between the frats and sororities.” 

The anonymity has been the primary pitch in bringing people to the app. Students have posted invites to parties and have expressed how they feel Oakland’s party scene is on the rise and will one day meet other colleges in Michigan. 

OU Housing states that out of the 20,000-plus students attending Oakland, approximately 2,600 actually live on campus, less than 13 percent.

“I think Yik Yak can be useful for people that use it as a way to vent or post jokes. If people want to post about parties, more power to them, OU Police Department’s Lieutenant Thompson said. “OUPD will not be monitoring the app. We have other ways of finding out what is going on.”

Aside from parties, some students have used the app to anonymously try to hook up or make love connections. While some take it seriously, others see it as a joke.

“I don’t think people realize the postings are jokes,” said an OU student wishing to remain anonymous. “Some people actually believe they can hook up with each other when in reality it’s just someone playing games and laughing behind their screen.”

Yik Yak is another addition to the collection of apps for students to access. By being anonymous, the safety to post whatever students want is a nice change up from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It provides the opportunity to be funny, promiscuous or simply have fun with other students to pass the time.