Anonymous mobile apps are the new Facebook! Except that with no names they inevitably descend into nasty cesspits of hatred and spite... or is it inevitable?

It's not inevitable but the community needs good moderation tools so it can police itself.

Usenet, Reddit, and Imgur are all pseudonymous but with ability to ban, shadow-ban, flag, moderate, upvote, and downvote, the community is able to build its own immune system.

This is a good story about the difference some core positive members can make:

He thought a unified effort to spread positive thoughts would be more effective, and he suggested the idea last week to a few friends who are faculty members. “If Yik Yak is really going to be a driver of campus culture, we need to be a part of that,” Holm said.

More than 50 professors posted comments through the app on Friday, the last day of classes. Posts from faculty members ranged from quoting Herman Melville and Voltaire to challenging other professors to see who could build up the most active Yik Yak account.