Prompt Cast
Racism and Harassment on College Campuses: The Role of Yik Yak
TLDR This episode of Reply All explores the racism, harassment, and internet culture at Colgate University, specifically focusing on the anonymous social media app Yik Yak. Minority students at Colgate University faced backlash and protest on Yik Yak when they formed a support group and organized a sit-in to address racism and discrimination on campus, highlighting the platform's role in facilitating racist conversations and making them visible.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This episode of Reply All explores the racism, harassment, and internet culture at Colgate University, specifically focusing on the anonymous social media app Yik Yak.
03:44
A group of minority students at Colgate University formed a support group and organized a sit-in to address racism and discrimination on campus, but faced backlash and protest on the anonymous social media app Yik Yak.
07:21
Yik Yak was used as a platform for racist and abusive comments at Colgate University, with some comments specifically targeting a student who hung an upside-down American flag with "Black Lives Matter" written on it.
11:09
Minority students protesting the targeting and murder of minorities at Colgate University were themselves targeted on Yik Yak, leading to feelings of unsafety and exhaustion, and ultimately resulting in some students leaving campus for the semester.
14:35
Faculty at Colgate University launched a campaign called the "Yik Yak Take Back" to counteract the negativity on Yik Yak by posting positive and cheerful messages, which surprisingly had a strong effect on the students and made them feel less alone.
18:09
Yik Yak forced a conversation about racism and violence at Colgate University that many people were trying to avoid, and since then, similar incidents have occurred at other universities across the country.
22:04
The University of Missouri protests gained national attention and resulted in the resignation of the president and chancellor after the football team went on strike, but during this time, there were also racist threats made on Yik Yak.
25:47
Yik Yak can be seen as a platform that facilitates racist conversations, but it also makes those conversations visible and provides evidence of racist acts.
29:33
The new generation of students is driving the national conversation about racism and demanding change on a microcosmic level on their campuses.
Categories:
Technology
Society & Culture
