Last year Yik Yak was allowed at New Trier High School for 3 days. It was used to bully, harass, and anonymously intimidate students. The app has now been banned at high schools, but it is huge at colleges. The app is used for similar things, the only difference is the lack of a ban on the app for use by college students. Due to the popularity of the app on college campuses Sequoia, a Private Equity Firm, invested 61 million dollars in the company.
What does this investment say about human nature and evolving social climates? Not only is the app primarily used for negative messages but it is also totally anonymous. Sequoia has invested a huge amount of money in the hope that Yik Yak will grow, that there will be more insults to give, more pessimistic observations, and more intentionally provocative questions to ask--all of these messages passed through a phone: no identity, no problem.
The investment is not just accounting for the app updating and getting better, but it is also accounting for the growth of negativity and lack of confidence in our opinions as individuals. 61 million dollars was just invested in human insecurity, will Sequoia get the return they want?
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