Three infamous social media apps — Reddit, YikYak and Sidechat — share some common features but serve different purposes and audiences. YikYak and Sidechat are primarily focused on college students, but Reddit caters to a much broader general audience. Each app has a unique set of features, but they all allow anonymous users to speak to one another and form communities. Each is a key player in the rising trend of finding community through the internet.
Reddit, a personal favorite, is great for advice and recommendations. The app has thousands of forums, which are called “subreddits;” each of them is dedicated to a specific topic. Northeastern has a forum, which is very informative when looking for classes, learning new things about the school or looking for cool events. There is also a Boston forum that provides suggestions on places to explore in Boston: cafes, bars, events and hidden gems. Beyond the local community, Reddit is the perfect place to find advice that fits your needs. If you have a specific, niche question, there is a very high chance someone on Reddit has had the exact same question before. As Reddit is also anonymous, people are more likely to be truthful and forthcoming with their answers.
YikYak and Sidechat are both on the App Store from the exact same developer — Flower Ave. Flower Ave is a private company, and upon investigating their webpage, I discovered that there is very limited information about the company online. YikYak was purchased in 2023 by Flower Ave, which originally owned Sidechat. It’s strange — some users are being urged to move to Sidechat, and some users are still able to use YikYak. Even more interesting, both companies’ founders have tried to remain out of the spotlight, avoiding any and all media attention. The two apps are both essentially identical in structure. YikYak and Sidechat are both very popular for college students, each requiring authentication of your university email to join a college forum. They have anonymous chats, anonymous posting and similar rules. Many people are not happy about the merger with YikYak and Sidechat, and are being urged to use a new app.
Each app has a few pros and cons. Reddit has a huge knowledge base and many communities, but some toxic communities, which, for a newcomer, can be overwhelming. Reddit can be overwhelming for some users as some communities can spread negativity and hatred, instead of offering advice. YikYak and Sidechat are both simple and easy to use, but in college settings can promote cyberbullying and, in terms of social media apps, have limited reach. Since the anonymous nature of YikYak and Sidechat allows them to post without taking accountability, anonymous posts allow college students to be unnecessarily blunt or hurtful to their peers.
These platforms highlight an important problem within online communities – while they provide a space for communication and advice, they also provide an anonymous platform to spread hatred. This is true for YikYak, Sidechat and Reddit. These platforms are meant to be a place for communities to form, but without stronger moderation or stronger accountability, they can be misused.