It involves imitating a plank and it even rivals “extreme ironing” when it comes to strange fads to spread across social media. But this week, “planking” became notorious after a 20-year-old fell seven stories to his death, while attempting to “plank”.
Planking is the action of lying face down, with arms to the sides in unusual, often public, places and being photographed. The photographs are then uploaded to various social media sites, most notably Facebook and YouTube. It is also known as “The Lying Down Game”.
The fad has become particularly popular in Australia, where the term “planking” was coined, and the “Planking Australia” page on Facebook currently has over 128 000 fans. The page also has close to 4 000 uploaded photos of people planking. Another Facebook page, “Planking”, has over 158 000 fans.
Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has now called for an end to the Internet phenomenon, urging “plankers” to consider the safety implications of their actions.
According to police reports, Acton Beale fell from a balcony railing while a friend tried to photograph him planking in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Beale's death came just a week after another Australian was charged for attempting to plank on a police car.
Heated debate
Issues of safety have sparked debate on the Planking Australia and Planking pages on Facebook. While a number of Facebook users have slammed the “sport” as “idiotic”, others have sprung to its defence:
“You can't blame planking and this page for his death,” says a fan. “It was a terrible tragedy, but people are responsible for their own actions. He chose to plank on a balcony railing seven stories up, while intoxicated... Planking is harmless fun provided you are safe about it.”
Another fan agreed, saying: “Young people will always do risky things - push boundaries. Some will come to grief doing it. It has nothing to do with intelligence, just people having F-U-N.”
Others were less forgiving though: “Planking is just another prime example of people's innate ability to fall into line. The same reason gossip mags, fashion and even religion exists. Baaaaaaa...Sheep.”
“Planking is the most stupid thing I have ever heard of, not only is it dangerous, but it has gotten people in serious trouble with the law. I personally would rather watch the grass grow.”
Just another fad?
Other Internet fads that have gathered momentum in recent years include extreme ironing and flash mobs.
Extreme ironers have recorded themselves doing the daily chore on cliff tops, underwater and even while abseiling.
Flash mobs have also exploded on YouTube, ranging from random musical outbursts to even a local example of a group of people taking their pants off on the Gautrain.
Planking is yet to take off in SA. The “Planking South Africa” page on Facebook currently only has five fans, but it appears as if the page was only created this week.
* Are plankers just plonkers? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
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