A Nation of Planks (and Owls)

It may probably be one of the most bizarre fads we have ever seen but what is planking really saying about us?

Facebook is awash with photographs of people lying face down, stiff, in the most ridiculous of settings. It is called planking, a web sensation which is said to originate from England. It basically involves lying plank-like in every setting or occasion known to mankind and taking a photo of it - the more bizarre the photo, the more “points” you get. While a simple bit of planking in front of your neighbourhood McDonalds may be all fun and games, some photos seem to teeter on the edge of sanity and even life – there have been arrests for planking on private property, suspensions for planking at the workplace, and just recently, death from planking. Clearly, there is not much to gain from planking but a few laughs. So why do we still do it?

At a glance, planking seems to be just another modern fad. Just as how shoulder pads were once the 'in thing' in the fashion world, planking is now 'the thing to do' come the 21^st century.  It probably is not something our grandparents would approve of but there is still something hilariously ‘cool’ about people lying down like a lifeless piece of driftwood in awkward situations. Perhaps it is the mere juxtaposition of having a human plank lie face down in the mud at a wedding which makes it 'cool'. But surely doing it once is enough, right?

To some plankers, however, it is more than just a meme - it is a sport. While it probably will never reach the Olympics, it definitely has caused quite a competitive stir - every planker wants to create the most original planking pose. And the sense of achievement from being able to do so is probably what keeps plankers going. But, even more importantly is how this competition came to exist in the first place; the answer may lie with social networking sites. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace fuel the planking passion, providing plankers with an arena to upload photos and tips. In addition to that, plankers earn their "thirty seconds of fame" and admiration from other fellow plankers.  

The recent death of 20 year old Australian, Acton Beal, who fell to his death in a planking attempt on a balcony from seven floors high did not deter plankers but rather, gained this somewhat, ridiculous pastime new fans. Even celebrities got into the plank cult and picked up this stunt craze. The image on the right shows actress Kristen Bell lying face down on a staircase low to the ground to minimize the risk of falling and advocates to practice the stunt responsibly.The site, iplanking.com advertises itself as being the official and masterminds of the stunt. They instruct amature plankers to lie facedown with their hands along their sides to suggest the appearance of "levitating off the ground". They also advise to "channel your inner plank and visualise becoming the board".

If this was not enough, it seems that planking has now undergone some evolutionary changes - and so now, we have 'Owling', which, as some of you may have already guessed, involves perching like an owl in unusual situations. While owling may (literally) take a different form altogether, it is still a product of planking. Cheeszburger Network's Ben Huh said that "Owling is actually more of an indication of how big planking is." So while pretending to be Hedwig may seem to be a different fad altogether, it is not. Instead it probably is just a reiteration of how we will do anything to be noticed and to be acknowledge by the population of the virtual internet world. Does this mean we have set ourselves in a never ending cycle of attention-seeking? Probably, yes.

Planking is not just about the irony of modern man lying face down on the ground like…well...a plank, but also about how the attraction of being given attention and recognition for our actions (in this case, planking) can drive us to do insensible things. However, there is no denying its popularity (It even has its own slogan! “You got a body, you got a plank”). Should there be a ban on such activities? Whatever the answer is, I am pretty sure planking and its descendants will be with us for quite a while.

For more information, check out www.iplanking.com or follow them on Twitter @plankplank