Study: 100% of UW-Madison Yik Yak Users Unable to Discern Satire from Real News

As colleges and universities across the nation grapple with declining media literacy rates in the face of mass disinformation campaigns and AI-generated content, an alarming new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison reveals that an astonishing 100% of the school’s users on the popular platform Yik Yak are unable to distinguish between satire news and real news.

The study, carried out by three STAT 240 students with a combined grade in the class of 83, came in the wake of the award-winning publication Madison Misnomer’s viral article on the recent District 8 Alderman Election. The article was widely shared across the platform, and the Misnomer came under fire from those who mistakenly believed that the article was intended as a legitimate piece of factual journalism. Shockingly, this was not just a loud minority - the students’ analysis revealed that approximately every user on Yik Yak held these beliefs.

Adam Melton, one of the study’s authors, confirmed that the Misnomer’s groundbreaking article prompted their investigation. “It was so astonishing to see people automatically assume an article from a publication whose logo is a jester hat was actually legitimate news. I mean, did they really think there was a member of the Young Democratic Socialists of America named Carl Marks? They never thought to say that one out loud? Or maybe stop and consider that an organization branding itself as ‘UW-Madison’s premier satire publication’ everywhere has an incentive to parody and exaggerate events?”

We spoke to Tom Wotchorst, a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, who told us, “Although there may have been some slight statistical malpractice committed, this result is undoubtedly indicative of an increasingly worrying trend, not just in education, but in young people in general. Critical thinking skills are rapidly eroding in the era of generative AI, as many students prefer to use chatbots to give them often inaccurate answers instead of using their own brains.”

While this intellectual decline has been observed across virtually every social media platform, it appears to be the most pronounced on Yik Yak, a social media app allowing users to post chat threads anonymously. It groups users by proximity, which, combined with its anonymity, makes it popular on college campuses. We spoke to one user at UW-Madison, Sara Pansel, who was shocked when told the Misnomer article was not actually legitimate news reporting.

“What do you mean it’s not real? It’s on the internet, it has to be real! That’s just, like, a rule. I would know, I earned a Media Literacy Certification from Reddit University. And I LOVE to consume media. I watch so many YouTube productivity video essays, which basically makes me a genius.” When asked when the last time she read a book was, Pansel grew confused, saying, “Uhhh, well, who reads anymore? Why wouldn’t you just use AI to summarize it for you? Hold on, let me ask Chat.”

Perhaps the negative conclusions being drawn about the results of the study are too harsh. After all, neurological research has shown the human brain isn’t fully developed until the mid 20s, so it might be unfair to blame innocent Yik Yak users for being unable to distinguish such a cleverly disguised satire article from real news. Getting taken at face value is the sign of good satire writing, so no matter what Pulitzer-worthy stories the Misnomer publishes next, it will surely get misinterpreted by a media expert. And who knows? Maybe a freshman did actually sign a lease with Tunnel Bob. Maybe a pirate ship did actually appear on Lake Mendota. There’s no evidence it didn’t.