The Top 3 Facebook Pranks of All Time A comedy article
by Luke McKinney 11,088 110 03/03/2010 01:14 AM 22732 views
Every once in a while newspapers "discover" Facebook, breathlessly informing their audience of this new technology like it's a wheel made of sliced bread and fire. Which criminals can ride to STEAL YOUR CHILDREN!
Then they describe the terrible tricks and traps awaiting those innocent souls who leave themselves logged in. That's not a tragedy, that's natural selection teaching people "Don't leave something with more personal information than your passport, sitting there, idiot."
Media hype aside, here are our votes for the Top 3 Real Facebook Pranks of All Time.
1. Sucking Sucker
Stuart Slann is stupid. Let there be no doubt about that. While some reports claim he was "cruelly tricked" by evil electronic pranksters, the fact is a married man drove across most of the UK -- over four hundred miles -- to have an illicit affair with a woman he'd only texted on Facebook. You just spotted the problem before finishing the sentence, let alone a nine-hour drive to Aberdeen. When the "girl" said she'd be three hours late and asked him to upload pictures of himself sucking on a pink vibrator, alarm bells should have sounded in even the densest head -- but the only thing ringing in Stuart Slann's head was the sixth speed of the Rampant Rabbit's pulsing prongs.
He was eventually phoned by the pranksters -- two rival football fans he'd argued with on holiday -- and he should be grateful that they called, as he'd probably still be there if they hadn't. The deeply, deeply painful (and unsafe-for-work or swearing) video follows.
2. Upgraded Access
Okay, this is just some idiot leaving themselves logged in. But rather than reset their status to "sheep-shagging," someone spent money on making sure that everyone at Texas A&M who's on Facebook -- and since it's a university, that means everyone on campus -- knew that "Bryan Sawn-Yay" was desperate for flesh of any description.
Of course, there is no longer any record of a B. Sawn-Yay anywhere on Facebook. Or possibly the Earth, while a newly name-changed "John Smith" arrives at an Arctic research base and resolves never to leave anything logged in again, as long as he lives.
3. President Of Facebook!
In the ultimate prank, Arash Derambarsh adroitly demonstrated that old media understands new technology about as well as a caveman with a five-speed gearbox. The French press fell en masse for his election as "President of Facebook" -- a cheesy third-party Facebook application that Derambarsh played as if he was really taking over the site. Au contraire, Facebook had nothing to do with it, as a simple fact-check would have uncovered -- but that would have been far too much like journalism.
Instead, major TV networks and press outlets reported it as if it was real. Despite his repeated implications of official support from Facebook, the only people to spot the stunt were -- you guessed it -- actual Facebook users, meaning that a social networking site outperformed actual media twice in one day.
A followup story revealed that "many journalists covered the news just because others did, and because the 'President' looked credible." In other words, many "journalists" are already the bloggers they hate so much.
Did we miss any great Facebook pranks? Post your comments below!
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