As someone who researches social media and the higher education environment, it is rare that I come across an example of something that points the microscope inwards towards the behaviors, actions, thoughts and attitudes of higher education and student affairs professionals themselves. At the NASPA conference this year, that exact thing happened. (It also happened at other professional conferences this year, but none as big… nor reported on…)
After viewing some of the comments posted to the social media app Yik Yak (an anonymous geo-location commenting tool), the Chronicle of Higher Education posted this article pointing out some of the comments being posted during the conference. (You may want to read the comments section of the article itself as they are perhaps as or more interesting than the article itself.)
This in turn prompted NASPA to release a brief statement:
Reactions to this have been interesting… for a myriad of reasons. There are many angles one could take in understanding this whole situation, but at a minimum I think this entire episode highlights the following questions for me:
- What conversations are happening and what conversations aren’t happening?
- Who is participating in these conversations and who isn’t participating in these conversations?
- What conversations are suppressed and what conversations are privileged?
- And, moving forward, what conversations need to happen?
A lot of layers to explore!
UPDATED (4/9/2015)
Curated lists of primary source yaks, tweets, and comments:
- A Storify of the Yik Yak posts and reactions to the Chronicle article and the NASPA statement by Nikki Messmore
- A Storify of the Yik Yak conference session (#YY15) at #NASPA15 by Erika Thompson
- The #SAchat Transcript on the topic
- A Storify of curated tweets from #SAchat conversations on this topic by Paul Gordon Brown
- Tuesday Tally – 03/31/15 – Do you use Yik Yak on your campus or in your personal life? – Student Affairs Collective
HigherEdLive Episode dedicated to the topic:
Some blog post reactions to the situation from others:
- On Yik Yak and Other Things by Kristen Abell
- Yik YUCK: Anonymous Social Media at a Student Affairs Conference by Nikki Messmore
- A Charge for Myself by Brian Proffer
- NASPA, Yik Yak, and Perhaps What Really Matters by Ashley Robinson
- #NASPA15: The Story Behind the Posts by Stacey Oliver
- On Bystander Intervention, Community Standards and Yik Yak by Jason Meier
- Addressing the Yik Yak in the Conference by Mario Adkins
- Sorry For Yakking On Your Shoes… An Apology to NASPA by Steven Yeagley
- NASPA, Yik Yak, and the Questions They Raise by Drew Moser
- Social Media: I Don’t Get It by Tracey
- Random Thoughts on the Yik Yak at NASPA 15 Controversy by Joe Sabado
- A Zero Sum Game? Authenticity on YikYak by Teresa Tompkins
- On Social Media, Do We See What We Look For? by Joe Sabado
- Yak and Response: The High Cost of Anonymity by Lee Burdette Williams
- Are We All In This Together? (f/ Kanye West) by Amma Marfo
- Yik, Yak, & All That: Reflections On #NASPA15, #DIVERI15 and Yik Yak by James Reed III
News and other opinion articles:
- No Break From Yik Yak Troubles At Student Affairs Conference – Educational Advisory Board (3/26/15)
- Should Administrators Leave Yik Yak To The Students? – Educational Advisory Board (3/27/15)
- Student Affairs Professionals Are Writing Messages On Yik Yak Just As F*cked Up As The Students from Total Sorority Move
- Yik Yak Schools College Administrators On Some Truths – Boston Globe (3/29/15)
- NASPA Bounces Back From YikYak/SB101 Controversy With Bold Inclusivity Agenda [SATIRE] – The Cronk of Higher Education (3/31/15)
Original Yaks after the publication of the Chronicle article:
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