 Yik Yak's logo | |
| Headquarters | |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet |
| URL | yikyak |
| Registration | None |
| Launched | 2013 (Relaunched in 2021) |
| Current status | Operating |
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).[1] 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.[2]
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.[3] Failing to maintain user engagement, Yik Yak announced on April 28, 2017, that the service would close in the coming week.[4] For $1 million, Block, Inc. (formally Square, Inc.), purchased Yik Yak's intellectual property and hired several of its former employees.[5][6] 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.[7] In March 2023, Yik Yak was purchased by Sidechat, a competing pseudonymous platform.[8]
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"Legal". Yik Yak. 2015-07-14. Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-14.
Yik Yak is an anonymous messaging app that allows users to create and view posts – called Yaks – within a 5 mile radius.
- ^ "Hyper-Local Social Messaging App Yik Yak Raises $1.5 Million in Funding" (Press release). Atlanta, GA: Yahoo Finance. 22 April 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ "Yik Yak shuts down after Square paid $1 million for its engineers". TechCrunch. 28 April 2017. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ "Thank You, Yakkers — Yik Yak Blog". 2017-04-29. Archived from the original on 2017-04-29. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ "SQUARE, INC. DEF 14A April 2017". Archived from the original on 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ Statt, Nick (2017-04-28). "Yik Yak, once valued at $400 million, shuts down and sells off engineers for $1 million". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ Inc, Yik Yak. "Yik Yak | The Yak is Back". yikyak.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Perez, Sarah (16 March 2023). "Anonymous app Sidechat picks up rival Yik Yak...and users aren't happy". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.