RIP Ekho, Yik Yak won out in the end

If you were at Nottingham Uni last year you were lucky enough to experience the best communal, but anonymous, phenomena of student life. Ekho, a mobile app similar to its counterpart Yik Yak but was only used by students. It was a wonderful weird world where BNOCs were made, preservatives were rated and campus signage was criticised.

If you made the ‘Morning Ekho’ – a selection of the previous day’s most popular posts – you could hold your head up high in a secret self pride that your words or observation had achieved high praise and recognition in your student community.

Instead of up yaks, you had likes. True leaders of Ekho got into the 100s but the notified milestones of 25 or 50 were still substantial achievements. If you were after those likes your safest bet of course was typical Trent bashing, but it was those unique or personal remarks that every UoN student can relate to that made Ekho special.

Self-deprecation was key. Sharing of day-to-day awkwardness and embarrassing moments was not only hilarious, but also affirming. It confirmed that student life wasn’t perfect in any way, and that was perfectly OK. It was alright to admit that your sex life or relationship – or lack of both – wasn’t faultless, it was fine to say you where struggling with work, and if anything admired to joke about the crappier side of Nottingham student life.

Going onto other Universities Ekho’s to chant UoN superiority was seen across the country, and no other University felt this more than Trent.  Whenever you had a curious wander onto Trent’s Ekho feed you would find a long catalog of “I did X and I accidentally got Y degree from Trent” jokes, which how ever old, are still entertaining.

Ekho wasn’t just a tool to berate Trent or share self-grievances, it was the way you found out what was going on in Lenton and Campus instantaneously. Sightings of unicycle man were reported, the Jubilee blaze relayed and location of Dai Champion – Ekho royalty – heralded for your information.

But sadly Ekho is no more. It was superseded by Yik Yak over the summer of 2015. The 13 weeks of absence of the student population on campus saw the app’s use fade away, the regularity of posts dwindle and likes starved. Without the students living their whimsical problematic lives Ekho didn’t have anything. It died.

Though the glory days seem far behind us it doesn’t mean it’s the end for Ekho. I believe it could still be resurrected. It could rival Yik Yak again, its following could return! But for now we have the memories and the wisdom it left us.