By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A growing Facebook trend known as “planking” is being blamed for the death of a 20 year-old Australian man and has prompted calls from officials to put an end to the bizarre fad.
CNN is reporting that Acton Beale fell to his death while “planking” on a seventh floor balcony railing as his photo was being taken to post on Facebook.
“Planking” involves people lying face down on their stomach in various unusual and sometimes dangerous locations such as train tracks, cars, fences, and then posting photographs of themselves on social media websites. The fad is particularly popular in Australia, which has its own Facebook page called “Planking Australia” with over 116,000 registered “likes”. Similar pages are now springing up in other countries, such as “Planking Ireland” and “Planking Norway.”
However, Beale’s death has cast a bad light on the seemingly innocent fad.
“This morning we have seen a young man take this activity a step further and attempt to plank on a balcony,” Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett of the Queensland Police said Sunday. “Unfortunately he has tragically fallen to his death. Police fear that as planking gains popularity there may be more injuries and potentially further deaths.”
Police say the danger comes from fans who try to outdo one another by taking bigger and bigger risks on where they “plank.”
“The potential disaster increases as more and more risks are taken to get the ultimate photo,” said a police statement.
Last week, a man was arrested after photographing himself “planking” on top of a police car in Queensland.
Apparently, “planking” began in 2009 on Facebook but was known as the “Lying Down Game” at the time. Seven emergency medics in England were suspended from work in 2009 after posting photos of themselves lying face down on resuscitation trolleys, ward floors and an air ambulance helipad.
Even Australia’s prime minister, Julia Gillard, weighed in, calling Beale’s death “tragic” and calling for an end to the internet phenomenon before someone else gets hurt.
But, according to the Guardian, the tragic news has done little to stop the fad.
“For the moment planking does not appear to be in any sort of decline,” they reported this morning.
Plankers were continuing to upload pictures of their exploits on Monday, with one man appearing on top of a bandstand, another atop a bush, while one woman was photographed perched precariously upon an open fridge.”
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