Exonians Debate Various Negative Effects of iPhone, Android Social Applications
Scrolling through a plethora of derogatory comments on the mobile phone application, Yik Yak, senior Tyler Parr discovers a remark from the online forum that surprises him: his own name, followed by a series of offensive words. Furiously, he scrambles to find the writer of the abusive statement. However, his effort is pointless: every note posted to Yik Yak is anonymous.
In recent months, many applications such as as Yik Yak, Tinder and now Zello have begun to play an increasingly integral role in Exeter life.
Each program, whether beneficial or harmful, can affect not only individuals but also the Exeter community as a whole; consequently, while some applications encourage students to collaborate and communicate more, many stimulate detrimental interactions that can disturb both faculty and students.
Yik Yak, a free application which allows people to talk anonymously online about any topic, has instigated problems on the Exeter campus.
Last spring, the application became extremely popular among the student body as both jokes and insults were posted regarding specific people and groups of Exeter. Although some posts were encouraging, the majority included inappropriate and harmful language.
“It is destructive in a community,” Reverend Robert Thompson said. “If someone is going to say something about another that is ugly and do it in an anonymous way, it’s despicable, actually. It dishonors the very notion of community.”
According to Thompson, it was not only the comments themselves that made Yik Yak so damaging, but the anonymity students hid behind, many times oblivious to the results of their actions.
“When you say something mean to someone face to face, you are face to face with the consequences of your words,” he said. “Unfortunately, the technology has developed that allows for people not to have to find that courage within themselves to talk face to face.”
Not only does the anonymity of Yik Yak harm the targeted individuals of our community, it also deteriorates the Academy’s sense of trust.
“When looking at your friends you would always wonder whether they have this dark side to them, and you would not know,” lower Timur Luke commented. “It introduces a level of suspicion and doubt which breaks some of the trust in our community.
Even though its repercussions have been substantial, Yik Yak is not the only application that has been popular on campus. Recently, the use of a new application called Zello has spread throughout the Academy. The application resembles a radio and allows free conversations over any network or Wi-Fi. The Zello trend began with the cross country team, who have used it as a fun and efficient way to chat with one another.
“We communicate to discuss our whereabouts, perpetuate team antics, you name it really,” senior Holden Hammontree, who was one of the first users of the application on the cross country team, said. “From our frequent and public use, plenty of people see and have started to use the application. Many people see us walking around talking in code, though, and probably think we're dolts.”
Unlike Yik Yak, the application Zello allows exclusively for private chats consisting mostly of a small group of close friends. The lack of anonymity encourages users to restrict what they would say which gives users a sense of security.
Nevertheless, senior Francis Betz believes there is still potential for students to misuse the application and turn it into yet another example of cyberbullying.
“Its effect on the community can be good or bad,” he said. “If used appropriately, it is another way to keep in contact with a certain community. But things can get out of control sometimes, and if the application is misused it could create new forms of hazing.”
Additionally, Zello could become a distraction for students during their studies and classes.
When the radio option is turned on, new messages will play sporadically, even if the phone is locked. Once, during lower Jiro Mizuno’s biology class, a Zello notification sounded in his pocket. Although the interruption was short and subtle, Mizuno believes the application has the prospect of becoming much more distracting.
“Sometimes you turn it on and forget to turn it off again,” Mizuno said. “It interrupted my biology class once. It was on low volume, but you could hear the beeps and the mumbling of a voice. I just apologized and turned it off but I could see how it could become a problem if a student repeatedly forget to turn off the app.”
Applications that affect people within the community are not the only ones that have been used by students.
Tinder and Hot or Not are only two of the many examples of applications that students have used to interact outside of the Exeter “bubble.” Tinder and Hot or Not are both dating applications, in which a person can “rate” others by viewing their photos and if the “well rated” person also rates the user well, the two are matched. Both the purpose and potential consequences of using these programs can vary.
Upper Soren Blomquist Eggerling found these applications beneficial towards both his ego and his social interaction skills.
“I can't speak for everyone, but to be honest I kinda enjoyed the ego boost. Also, you get more experienced with having conversations, so you're not as awkward in public. I learned how to hold a conversation better in person and on my phone,” he said.
However, Blomquist Eggerling also added that although there were advantages, he did not feel happy with himself for using these applications. “Sometimes I'd find myself mentally swiping left or right walking down a street and I was pretty disgusted.”
It is clear that both beneficial and harmful consequences of using all of these applications exist. As the technology advances and improves, it is inevitable that more applications such as Yik Yak will be available. As Dean of Residential Life AJ Cosgrove has stated, it is up to the student body to control the use of the applications in order to prevent other students from being offended.