In the article, "A Gossip App Brought My High School to a Halt" the horrendous stories of high school students all over the social hierarchy of Staples, a small high school in Westport, Conneticut as a result of the gossip app Yik Yak was detailed.
Yik Yak was an app that was mainly used to spread gossip and slander the names of various students all over Staples. Many students were driven to tears and were in such a state that they had to leave early. Some never wanted to go back. So in the aftermath of such an atrocious event the common question is why would anyone do such a thing?
The simple answer is that it's the only form of release that any of these students have. For the lower classes of the Staples Social hierarchy such as the nerds, homosexuals, or any other student that didn't fit the social norms of the more popular groups this was their way of seeking revenge. These students can't go up to their tormentor on a daily basis and speak what is on their mind for fear of the repercussions, but when hiding behind the anonymity of YIk Yak they can type any malice response they have been meaning to say.
However, the app was not only used by the social outcasts, but probably by the upper class students. Any high school movie, like The Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink, will demonstrate the tight constraints that the social elite must live by. This app was probably used to vent their frustrations.
The students were impacted so heavily because they're impressionable teenagers and their image is everything. So what can students do to prevent such a situation from taking any further control?
All we can do is not pay any attention to it. A fire cannot burn without oxygen and gossip cannot spread without voices.
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