University of Alabama REL Capstone Seminar
Unrestricted. Uncensored. A place of freedom to express and communicate your innermost thoughts. Sounds pretty good, right? This seems to be the biggest draw for the app Yik Yak. Launched in 2013, Yik Yak has risen to be one of the most popular apps for young adults. With 1.8 million users, over 95% of them are college aged. This app claims to be an “anonymous messaging application”, where in 200 characters “college students [can] connect with their community”.
On any typical weeknight, I often find myself browsing the great abyss that is Pinterest, dreaming and becoming inspired for my future endeavors. One of the things that I’ve noticed—and admittedly have considered—is the trend of a wedding themed after your favorite childhood book or movie.
When an elderly woman was videoed by a security camera bowing and making offerings before a statue, viewers interpreted the actions in different ways. Suggesting that the statue was not a shrine to Guan Yu (a general who became recognized as the God of War for many in China) but a figure from a video game, some have laughed at the elderly woman’s mistake, while others have expressed sympathy or wondered if the divine would respond to a prayer presented sincerely before the “wrong” statue.