Dear Spill It,
Every time I log onto Yik Yak I see posts complaining about hearing loud sex in the dorms, and I’m terrified I’m the culprit. How do I have a robust sex life in the dorms without garnering unwanted attention online from my neighbors?
Sincerely,
Spirited Sex-haver
Dear Spirited Sex-haver,
My first piece of advice is one that I think a lot of Lewis & Clark students need to hear: stop logging onto Yik Yak. While you are at it, you may want to quit using its newer sibling, Fizz. Apps like these are what I believe to be the college students’ version of tabloids, except everyone is a celebrity, and no one is safe.
At a small school like LC, everyone already knows way too much about everyone else. Apps like Yik Yak and Fizz exacerbate the problem to the extreme. These apps, to my understanding, were developed to share funny quips and remarks about college experiences unique to the certain institution one was attending. By this logic, these apps were developed with the majority of universities in mind, which happen to be large schools. Although each post is anonymous, one could indicate initials or other identifying characteristics, and the population of a small school like LC would know more or less who that anonymous source was talking about.
Boom. Tabloid.
A common concern in my earlier days at this school was that if I did something slightly controversial or weird, a joke about me would be posted on the app the next day. I would be the laughingstock of the college, and my social life would be utterly destroyed. This of course did not happen, but the fear, however irrational, was still there.
I noticed that when I stopped looking at apps like Fizz and Yik Yak, the fear dissipated. By purely not engaging with the app itself, maybe even pretending like it did not exist, I was able to not worry about the repercussions of the app itself. Of course, the amount of people seeing posts did not change, but my perception of its reach did. I predict that once you stop logging onto Yik Yak, you will worry significantly less about being exposed online.
That being said, you might want to quiet down a bit. Like seriously, for pure courtesy of your neighbors. God knows these walls are thin as hell, to be slightly crude. Make a game of it! See how quiet you and your partner can be. That could be fun! By making it a fun challenge, you and your partner reduce the amount of annoyance at having to be quiet. Additionally, you might want to think about having sex, well, not in a dorm. You will be surprised at the difference it makes.
All and all, your fear of being exposed online is relatable. Lucky for you, however, your problem has concrete solutions. Get off Yik Yak. Turn “being quiet” into a game. Go forth and enjoy, dear Spirited Sex-haver!
Sincerely,
Noah-Knows-All
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