Yik Yak

Yik Yak is a pseudonymous social media smartphone application that initially launched in 2013 and relaunched in 2021. The app, which is available for iOS and (formerly) Android, allows college students to create and view discussion threads within a 5-mile (8.0 km) radius (termed "Yaks" by the application). It is similar to other anonymous sharing apps such as Nearby, but differs from others such as Whisper in that it is intended for sharing primarily with those in proximity to the user. Despite strong levels of growth in 2013 and 2014, following several bouts of heavy criticism in the media over the dissemination of racism, antisemitism, sexism and the facilitation of cyber-bullying, the service saw stagnation in the growth of its user base. In 2016 alone, user downloads fell 76% compared to 2015. Failing to maintain user engagement, Yik Yak announced on April 28, 2017, that the service would close in the coming week. For $1 million, Block, Inc. (formally Square, Inc.), purchased Yik Yak's intellectual property and hired several of its former employees. On August 15, 2021, Yik Yak announced via their official website that they were making a comeback, with the app available for download on iOS. In March 2023, Yik Yak was purchased by Sidechat, a competing pseudonymous platform.