A 20-year old man, Acton Beale of Brisbane, fell seven stories to his death last week while trying to lie facedown on a narrow balcony railing, prompting calls for an end to the Facebook craze of "planking."
The practice, which involves lying like a plank somewhere odd or dangerous and posting the photo on Facebook, is particularly popular in Australia. The Planking Australia Facebook page has more than 120,000 members and boasts photos of people planking ona McDonald's sign, a highway, and a ski lift.
As "planking" becomes the latest Facebook craze, here are ten other fads that have swept through the social network.
1. Farmville – The virtual farming game now has 46 million players on Facebook, and has even launched a Lady Gaga version. Gagaville is a “magical place” according to the popstar where fans can farm crystals, unicorns and motorcycle-riding sheep.
2. Doppelganger Week – During “doppelganger week”, Facebook users change their profile pictures to a celebrity who they think they resemble. Popular choices include Muppets and Hollywood stars. Cartoon Status week also saw Facebook users change their pictures for cartoon characters.
3. The Numbers Game – Facebook users post a number as their status update and their friends write what ever comes to mind after they see the number. Popular choices are 1, 7, 21, 69 and 420.
4. Bra Color – To help raise awareness of breast cancer, female Facebook users change their status to the color of the bra they are wearing. The most popular colors are black, white and beige.
5. 25 Random Things about Me – A chain letter called "25 Random Things about Me" wormed its way through Facebook, with recipients rattling off 25 random facts and then inviting their friends to do so.
6. Dipping – Teenagers caused a stir in 2008 by using Google Earth to spot houses on a map with outdoor swimming pools and then organizing impromptu pool parties through Facebook.
7. Sleeveface – Using an old record sleeve and a digital camera, Facebook users take pictures of themselves with the sleeve in front of their face. The results were collected into a book in 2008.
8. I Like it On – Another campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer, female users suggestively update their profiles with “I like it on” followed by words such as “floor”, “kitchen counter” and so on.
9. Miss Bimbo – In the hugely popular Miss Bimbo game, Facebook users as young as nine are given an alter ego who they can give plastic surgery and diet pills to snare a billionaire boyfriend.
10. Frape – Combining “Facebook” and “rape”, fraping involves sneaking onto someone’s Facebook profile and changing their pictures, interests and sexuality. Fraping can also involve poking and messaging strangers from someone else’s account.
- As seen in The Week and The Telegraph
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