Anonymous Social Media App 'Yik Yak' Returns From The Grave, Takes Top Spot On The App Store

After closing down in 2017 due to a declining userbase, social media platform Yik Yak, which allows users to chat and interact anonymously with people in a five-mile radius, has returned from the dead. The developers announced the return of the app in a series of tweets, one featuring The Office's Brian Baumgartner in a Yik Yak hat hyping up its return.

😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/ld9bqJe2QE

— Yik Yak (@YikYakApp) August 16, 2021

Yik Yak is an anonymous social media app that connects its users with everyone else on the app within a five-mile radius. Historically, it's mostly been used by college and high school students. The app launched in 2013 and was shut down in 2017 following a decline in users and controversy surrounding the app's anonymity. Some were concerned that students were using the application to cyberbully others and make threats against students, with multiple schools even going into lockdown due to threats on the app.

The year the app shut down, two feminist organizations at the University of Mary Washington filed a federal complaint against the school and its former president after being harassed anonymously over the app, claiming that the school and its former president didn't do enough to protect the students. Twitter was quick to make jokes about this following the announcement of the revival.

yik yak said wake up motherfuckers it’s time to cyberbully https://t.co/M8ewyOwEur

— 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙨 (@haabsters) August 16, 2021

everyone going to download yik yak again pic.twitter.com/teJENp6zbr

— sasquatch tiddies (@transdivinity) August 16, 2021

Everyone: There's a lot of toxicity in the world, we don't need more

Yik Yak: pic.twitter.com/92Cu2H7BBj

— John (@artpopstan420) August 16, 2021

Despite the app's past controversies, its re-release inspired enough hype to boost Yik Yak to the App Store's number four spot in the "free apps" section, an achievement they shared on their Twitter page earlier today. Visiting Yik Yak's store page shows a "#1 in Social Networking" subheading, showing even further interest for the app since the company's tweet.

📈4️⃣ Number 4 on the App Store! Thank you to the community for the overwhelming response!

🤝 We’re working hard to improve the speed and reliability of the app! pic.twitter.com/GQIoyDkc1a

— Yik Yak (@YikYakApp) August 17, 2021

The re-release of Yik Yak comes with a number of updated rules and guidelines to help protect user safety. This includes much stricter moderation of cyberbullying and harassment, rules against spreading fake news and a rule against identifying anyone using the app. At the height of its popularity, Yik Yak was valued at $400 million dollars.