I wrote about the implications of Yik Yak in my Oct. 3 editorial “Yik Yak Sows Hostility at Emory” and I made the claim that technology provides a certain unprecedented security behind the screen. The typical Yik Yak post is a proverbial, “look how clever I can be,” but because of the platform’s anonymity, we never know who is being clever or violating the Emory Honor Code.
Anonymity may take some of the narcissism out of social media, but it also removes culpability. On Yik Yak, anonymity allows your words to stand on their own, which is the intended beauty of anonymity, but that beauty is not what occurs on Yik Yak. The quick turns of phrase you find on Yik Yak tend to veer towards cheap quips to laugh about once or twice.
Despite the inherent lack of depth present in many witty statements, you can’t fight what the people want. BuzzFeed, Twitter and Yik Yak are popular because people love quick, easily accessible information that either entertains, teaches or informs. If you want depth, that exists, but the outlets that provide more detailed, and shall I say more artistic, stories – outlets such as The New Yorker, Grantland and The Atlantic – might not interest you because their stories take longer to read.
Depth comes at a price and that price is time. You have to spend more time reading. Reading is thinking, and a lack of thought is the fundamental catastrophe that Yik Yak presents. On social media, we’re not thinking about ourselves with enough depth.
I wrote this article for you to read. To share. There is a meaningful difference between this piece and a Yik Yak post; a difference that goes beyond obvious traits such as length, humor value and anonymity. The difference is a filter. The Emory Wheel is a filter because the editorial board does not publish every story that comes its way. Witty is not enough – you need depth.
Your contributions must uphold certain standards, in this case journalistic standards, and only once you have met those standards may your work be afforded the opportunity to captivate the masses (The masses being relative, of course, since The Emory Wheel does not have the same circulation of, say, The New York Times.).
A lack of filters is the pervasive, persistent problem with social media. There is no one but you to compose your tweets, post your pictures and upload your videos. Your online persona rests in your hands and your hands alone, and I believe that is why we lose ourselves on the internet, regardless of whether or not what we post is anonymous. We become people we are not, for better or for worse, because the internet provides a layer of protection from the outside world, and from behind that wall, we’re safe to act as we please. No one can say, “No! Don’t post that,” because you are your only filter.
I do not support a ridiculous buddy system to ensure that only quality work is shared with the rest of the internet. Such a system would be burdensome and contradictory to the purpose of social media. In your pocket, you hold a smartphone and on your desk sits a computer. The power to be who you want to be in an instant is available every instant.So who do you want to be? Technology presents the opportunity to learn how to hold yourself to standards. Your own standards, because you define the standards. On social media, as in most aspects of life, you are your only filter.
As your only filter, you need to learn how to filter yourself. I do not believe all people who come across as racist or discriminatory or narcissistic on social media mean to come across as racist or discriminatory or narcissistic, but when you fail to notice when you come across as someone you don’t mean to be, that’s a problem, because sometimes who you don’t mean to be is someone who is cruel to other people.
So be more thoughtful. Remember that it’s one thing to be witty, i.e. to showcase the surface level or your intelligence, and another thing to bring depth, i.e. intelligence that springs forth from the core. A “deep you” can still be witty, fun and spontaneous. A “deep you” knows not to tempt the fates with ignorant comments. A “deep you” is more inclined to make people want to hang out with you more than once or twice.
Social media is more of an opportunity to learn about yourself than to showcase yourself. Don’t settle for just witty. Don’t assume you can say anything under the guise of anonymity. Look inside – even when you’re merely sending a tweet or posting a Yak – and ask yourself: who do I want to be? Because you matter, and while I may not know you, I know the person behind that screen can’t possibly be someone cheap and impermanent to chuckle about and instantly forget.
– Alex Rosenfeld is a College senior from Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
