Photo: TikTok via hitc.com
2020 has been an absurd, downright stupid year, but here’s something to make it even more: teens and young adults willingly lie down on public roads, covered in sheets, as part of a new viral challenge called ghosting.
Viral challenges have their charm, to be sure, but for aspiring influencers, what they have that’s most important is the promise of Internet stardom. Ghosting seems to have become a thing on TikTok earlier this year, peaking sometime in September.
It was actually the first version of the current challenge and was called the ghosting photoshoot. It implied exactly what its name says: people draped themselves in white sheets with holes for eyes and went out for highly-filtered photoshoots. With time, these photoshoots moved from backyards and remote locations to the highway or public roads at night, which, as you can imagine, is not the wisest move.
In Ireland, things are getting out of hand, Dublin Live reports. Last week, a teen girl was taken to the hospital after she was run over by a car while ghosting in what appears to be a later iteration of the same challenge. This one implies willingly lying on the road in the hope of stopping traffic, at night, in order to film the motorists’ reactions. If this isn’t peak 2020 in terms of stupidity and recklessness, we don’t know what is.
As such, the Gardai (the national police) have issued a warning to teens and parents to keep off the road unless they want to cause even more trouble.
“This ongoing trend challenges persons to lie on a roadway with a sheet placed over them in an attempt to stop oncoming traffic. This activity is extremely irresponsible and poses a serious danger to those taking part in the ‘ghosting’ and motorists,” the police say in a statement. “[We] are urging people not to engage in this social media trend. Gardai are particularly appealing to parents to educate their children on the dangers of participating in such activity and to highlight the importance of being seen while using Irish roads.”
Viral challenges do have a way of spinning out of control. A couple of years ago, the so-called Kiki Challenge / #InMyFeelings Challenge, which saw people jump out of a slowly-moving car to dance as it rolled alongside them, was the cause of many injuries in aspiring influencers.
It was actually the first version of the current challenge and was called the ghosting photoshoot. It implied exactly what its name says: people draped themselves in white sheets with holes for eyes and went out for highly-filtered photoshoots. With time, these photoshoots moved from backyards and remote locations to the highway or public roads at night, which, as you can imagine, is not the wisest move.
In Ireland, things are getting out of hand, Dublin Live reports. Last week, a teen girl was taken to the hospital after she was run over by a car while ghosting in what appears to be a later iteration of the same challenge. This one implies willingly lying on the road in the hope of stopping traffic, at night, in order to film the motorists’ reactions. If this isn’t peak 2020 in terms of stupidity and recklessness, we don’t know what is.
As such, the Gardai (the national police) have issued a warning to teens and parents to keep off the road unless they want to cause even more trouble.
“This ongoing trend challenges persons to lie on a roadway with a sheet placed over them in an attempt to stop oncoming traffic. This activity is extremely irresponsible and poses a serious danger to those taking part in the ‘ghosting’ and motorists,” the police say in a statement. “[We] are urging people not to engage in this social media trend. Gardai are particularly appealing to parents to educate their children on the dangers of participating in such activity and to highlight the importance of being seen while using Irish roads.”
Viral challenges do have a way of spinning out of control. A couple of years ago, the so-called Kiki Challenge / #InMyFeelings Challenge, which saw people jump out of a slowly-moving car to dance as it rolled alongside them, was the cause of many injuries in aspiring influencers.
@maggiekraserquitting my job to become a full time ghost photographer{ø #ghostphotoshoot #photography #behindthescenes #photographer
l Oh Klahoma - Jack Stauber
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