Yik Yak was unchallenged for the title of Ursinus’ #1 community platform. But while the graduating classes of 2026 and 2027 used Yik Yak, the underclassmen have gravitated toward a competing community app: Fizz.
Created by former Stanford University students Teddy Solomon and Ashton Cofer in 2021, Fizz was a passion project developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to foster community connections at Stanford University. Since then, the platform has experienced a great expansion wherein colleges and high schools across the country now have access to personalized community pages tailored to their school. And Ursinus is the latest to adopt the app.
Brody Ackerman ‘29 notes, “You join with your college email, and then you get to be a part of your school’s Fizz page. It’s pretty much just memes about student life… they’re really funny.” Whether it be brainrot memes that blow up on the Fizzin’ general chat, news from anonymous peers popping up in the “top” page, or threads from friends in the “new” tab, Fizz has been gaining steam this past month alone. Many students have utilized the platform upon first arriving for the academic year to connect with others and get accustomed to campus culture.
Yik Yak still has its fans, though–Gianna Scotts ‘28 remarks, “I love Yik Yak! I even made a meme about Gordon Ramsey that got a lot of upvotes just a few months ago!” But its popularity appears to be on a rapid decline, as many students, especially underclassmen, are unaware of it. Contributing factors to this could be the fact that Yik Yak is iOS only, as well as the rise in problematic trolling and political commentary emerging on Yik Yak in light of recent events. In the Spring 2025 semester, Ursinus College blocked the app on student wifi due to “reports from students of ongoing and escalating anti-trans, anti-Semitic, and racist rhetoric, along with other inappropriate comments.” The app could still be accessed via students’ personal data plans. As a result, declining user numbers have left a variant of Twitter in which anonymous posters commentate on party politics or try to sell products – a student was even rumored to be selling Labubus.
Indeed, the incoming classes of 2028 and 2029 have seemingly turned the tide in favor of Fizz, with Yik Yak users gradually following suit. “Some of the things people post there [Fizz] can be a bit much… but overall it’s pretty funny,” remarks Genevieve Dennes ‘29. While Ursinus is very new to this ‘carbo-nation,’ recent posts on Fizz are gaining plenty of traction, with students enjoying a newfound way to participate in the community.
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