Facebook Group Lying Down Game Results in Job Suspensions

The Lying Down Game on Facebook

The Lying Down Game is little more than folks lying down - stretched out, face down, arms by their sides and toes touching the ground-- in odd places, having their photos taken, and then bragging about it on the Lying Down Game website and its Facebook group. As Facebook groups go, the Lying Down Game is a huge success; as of the writing of this article, the group had amassed a whopping 77,480 members.

The map shows that at this point the majority of confirmed Lying Down Game participants are clustered in the United Kingdom. The Daily Mail reported on the bandwagon effect that has Lying Down Game participants perched on branches, at the driving range, on the street, in front of a tank and even in a very real airplane engine.

The creators of the Facebook group and Lying Down Game see the activity as a harmless bit of fun that gives folks a reason to be a bit silly. What could possibly go wrong?

Facebook Group's Lying Down Game Participants Suspended for Their Stunt

British emergency medical personnel were suspended for participating in the Lying Down Game at work. CNN reports that physicians and members of the nursing staff posted photos to the Facebook Group that showed them lying down on hospital floors, the helipad and on stretchers. No patients were involved in the stunt.

Fortunately the staff members were permitted to return to work - according to the BBC - and there is little doubt that they were admonished sharply about their supposedly unprofessional demeanor in jumping on this Internet bandwagon.

The Power of the Facebook Bandwagon Effect

The Facebook bandwagon effect is well documented. Tech President reveals that Barack Obama has a massive following of 6,917,010 Facebook friends while Sarah Palin only found 983,223 Facebook users that would publicly associate themselves with her.

Another powerful example of the Facebook bandwagon effect was "Nipple Gate" and the subsequent formation of a Facebook group devoted to letting users post photos of themselves while breastfeeding. Aptly named "Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!", the group currently has 248,559 members - this is up considerably from the initial 98,550 that signed up when the story broke a little less than a year ago.

Ready to Jump on the Bandwagon?

Whether you are an Obama fan, interested in posting or viewing breastfeeding photos, or Lying Down Game participant, there is a Facebook group devoted to your cause. Of course, it is wise to think through the consequences of joining and acting before jumping on the bandwagon.

Sources
http://www.lyingdowngame.net
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5989617014
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1198572/Find-odd-place-lie-face--Is-pointless-internet-craze-yet.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/09/10/uk.hospital.lyingdowngame/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wiltshire/8306111.stm
http://techpresident.com/scrape_plot/facebook?#link_linechart_a_1