If seeing everyone in your life being in happy relationships wasn’t calling you lonely this Valentine’s Day, YikYak sure was. “Yak Match” launched this February 14th, just in time for you to revel in the fact that you’re still single on the day of love. Straight out of a plot from a teenage love story fan fiction, Yak Match is here for you to find your one true love via YikYak. 

Now, while my current relationship dynamics might be a bit… strange, I did owe it to my freshman year self to look at these questions to see what Yak Match is all about. So, what hidden secrets did I stumble across? That’s a great question, I’d love to tell you. 

First of all, we had our classic demographic questions. Dating preferences, religion, major, gender, year, political affiliation, and ethnicity. It also asked questions to gather the type of relationship you’re looking for, whether it be friends, a serious relationship, casual dates, or something beyond these options. Moving past questions about interests and how you live your life, Yak Match asked the hard hitting question, is a hot dog a sandwich? As some of you may have gathered, I am a very opinionated person, and this is a question that could make or break a relationship. No, a hot dog is not a sandwich, and if you think it is, you’re wrong. 

It also asked questions about feelings on physical touch, how you handle conflicts, as well as your sense of humor. Something that was more emotionally intelligent than I was expecting from Yak Match was a question on how you like to be treated when you are spiraling. This had nothing to do with any other question, but I must say, I think Yak Match is onto something. And then it asked for my name and I closed the tab; I was never meant to go that far. 

Now that we have an understanding of what Yak Match is, I want to propose a thought experiment for you all. Picture it; it’s your wedding, it’s time for you to read your vows, tears are welling up in your eyes, you begin reading off of a small piece of paper. “Ever since I met you via Yak Match, I knew you were the one for me.” I know people meet the loves of their lives on the internet all of the time, and I know dating apps exist, but imagine telling people you met your partner on an app that focuses on gossip, rumors, and call out posts about articles written by yours truly. 

I’d like to leave you all with a piece of advice, because just a year ago, I would shamelessly be filling out the entire form for Yak Match. Thankfully, I’ve had a good amount of character development in the last year. If you find someone on YikYak that you want to spend time with, I’m not here to judge you, believe me, I’d be a major hypocrite if I was. Instead I’m here to tell you that there are more people for you to love than those you’ll find on YikYak. Those people, or that person, might just be closer than you think. You will feel connection, you will #besouthwestern, and you don’t need Yak Match to do it.