Some characterizations of acyclic maps

We discuss two categorical characterizations of the class of acyclic maps between (path-connected) spaces. The first one is in terms of the higher categorical notion of an epimorphism. The second one employs the notion of a balanced map, that is, a map whose homotopy pullbacks define also homotopy pushouts. We also identify the modality in the homotopy theory of spaces that is defined by the class of acyclic maps, and discuss the content of the generalized Blakers-Massey theorem for this modality.