Anyone can be anonymous on the Internet. This statement needs some qualifiers, sure, but its implications ring through our generation’s culture. Our high schools lectured us against cyberbullying, our news covers suicides driven by online attacks, and we’ve grown to expect vitriol in the comment sections of everything from The Crimson White to Facebook. In all cases, a separation between personal identities and online actions brings out new sides of people that they might never show in person. Without the weight of an identity, Internet personalities can overstep civilized limits and threaten the security of others.
You’ve probably heard of Yik Yak, an anonymous messaging board that only shows posts from the 500 users nearest you. Its popularity skyrocketed in March, and if other viral apps like Whisper or Secret are any indication, Yik Yak might not last for long. Because the app only shows local posts, it has potential as a platform for student groups and Tuscaloosa businesses to advertise broadly. Even then, the app poses a huge problem: The typical temptations of online anonymity have made Yik Yak a new low for campus debate.
The forum limits messages to 200 characters, and only posts that attract votes will stay visible in the onslaught of new messages. This framework exaggerates our campus’s groupthink, pitting masses against anonymous masses with names of organizations as targets. Moreover, hateful messages that garner attention spur even angrier replies. As much as a local news feed for events could benefit our community, the anonymity of Yik Yak corrupts the service and invites debate on Internet persecution and the extent of our conscience online.
For the University, dealing with vague Internet threats is no easy matter. Technology evolves far faster than a bureaucracy can keep up, so short-sighted solutions like pushing Yik Yak to remove anonymity or discouraging use of the app aren’t likely to help. After all, a new app could replace Yik Yak next fall, and there’s no telling what features it could introduce. The administration must be proactive toward all forms of cyber-harassment, especially when messages cross the line between derision and real threats. Currently, there is no mention of responsible online behavior or cyber-harassment in The University of Alabama’s Student Code of Conduct. Until the University has firm rules in place that force students to take accountability for their behavior on the Internet, there is no way to evenly judge cases with violent language and threats. The administration needs to step up to ensure that students who face online harassment have legal recourse within the University.
For students, communicating the necessity of online civility is trickier. New technology will keep providing forums for anonymous conversation online, and the freedom of speaking without an identity will tempt some students to go further in Internet arguments than they would ever go in person. The campus must teach incoming students that their virtual actions can have legal consequences for themselves and emotional consequences for their victims. Campaigns like LessThanUThink educate students about alcohol abuse, and so similar initiatives need to emphasize civility online. Students must learn to be conscious of where a joke ends and where bullying begins, and where annoying harassment turns into threats of violence.
The Internet is a vast and wonderful invention, and as such, we’re bound to abuse it. The first step to overcoming the problems Yik Yak and other anonymous apps bring to campus is to recognize these problems. Many students have complained individually about stalking, violent language and resulting insecurities from the online service. It is time for the administration and student body as a whole to start discussing these issues in person and in depth. We have no more patience for 200-character limits cloaked in anonymity.
The Student Leadership Council is composed of a group of student leaders from across campus and is hosted under the Division of Student Affairs. Mazie Bryant, John Brinkerhoff and Deanne Winslett, although members of the group, did not participate in this editorial.
