THANKS to the internet and, in particular, social networking sites such as Facebook, ideas, good, bad, smart and stupid, can fan out around the globe at an alarming rate.

The latest of these ideas to have spread, with all the speed of an epidemic, is ‘planking’, the bizarre practice of stretching out face down in all sorts of unlikely places, such as the tops of railings, street signs and roofs, so that pictures can be taken and published electronically.

Planking, which apparently originated in Somerset but spread with great rapidity, might appear to be an innocuous, if rather pointlessly amusing, pastime. Indeed, some of the pictures posted of the Island’s plankers are guaranteed to make people smile.

However, as the States police have pointed out, it can also be a highly dangerous activity because dedicated plankers seek out precarious places in which to lie prone so that their feats can be photographed for circulation on the net.

One planking death – in Australia – has already been recorded, and there is every possibility that others will follow, given the foolhardy activities of some of those participating in the craze.

It is, meanwhile, possible that the Island’s plankers, who have already posted hundreds of pictures online, are breaking the law in some of their exploits.

The police are particularly concerned about one incident in which someone lay down in front of traffic in St Helier, but they also point out that plankers who climb onto public or private property run the risk not only of injuring themselves but also of causing damage.

There is a parallel between this latest craze and tombstoning, the practice of plunging into the sea from piers and rocks. Both activities are entertaining from the point of view of those taking part and include some level of physical challenge, but if things go wrong, they can go horribly wrong.

As in the case of so many other crazes, ranging from the hoola-hoop to the tamagotchi, planking is likely to be a passing phenomenon. But while it is a feature of Island life, those involved would do well to ask themselves two questions – is it worth risking life and limb for a quirky photograph and what is the effect of what I am doing on other people?