1. Latest internet drinking craze
'Neknominate' slammed by police and
safety organisations
Jan 27, 2014 17:06
By Steve White, Ben Burrows
The game has spawned more and more extreme and outlandish online videos,
and authorities have now decided step inyoutube.
They look like scenes from the cult TV show „Jackass‟.But a new internet craze
sweeping Britain has been slammed by safety organisations.

2. The aim of the game is to complete a drinking dare - „Neck‟ - and then
nominate someone to do the same.It has spawned more and more extreme,
disgusting and outlandish videos.
People who back out are ridiculed online.
The concept of the game has been described by a user on Facebook as: "Neck
your drink. Nominate another. Don‟t break the chain, don‟t be a d***. The
social drinking game for social media! #neknominate. Drink Responsible".
There are said to be thousands of so called “neck and nominate” videos on the
internet.
In the UK videos have been posted as far apart as South Wales and Cumbria.
But one force has now issued a warning to those taking part in the craze -
warning of the "catastrophic dangers" after receiving "numerous concerns from
members of the public".
Cumbria Police chief superintendent Steve Johnson said: “Whilst some may see
it as a bit of fun, the consequences could be catastrophic . We are noticing that
as the chain goes on, so does the intensity of the situations people are putting
themselves in.
"I‟d ask that people act with responsibility and that they don‟t put themselves in
danger. I‟d also act that if you receive a nomination please do not feel
influenced to partake in any activity through peer pressure.”
One video posted on Facebook is said to show a person downing a can of
Kestrel lager before picking up a dead chicken.
The man, reported to be a member of Facebook group “Valley Nutters”, then
bites the head from the unplucked animal, opens his mouth to show it to the
camera, and apparently swallows the skull.
He is then said to fill a pint glass with vodka, three raw eggs and a cigarette he
has stubbed out on his tongue.
In one, a drinker reportedly fills half a pint glass with urine before topping it
with lager.
He gives the glass to a friend who tries to drink it.

3. James Varty, acting chief executive of drugs and alcohol charity Kaleidoscope,
is reported as saying: “It‟s a very concerning game – if it grows in popularity
we may well see tragedies.”
Police are concerned that the craze is becoming increasingly dangerous.
"Whilst some may see it as a bit of fun, the consequences could be
catastrophic," Cumbria Police chief superintendent Steve Johnson said.
"We are noticing that as the chain goes on as does the intensity of the situations
people are putting themselves in.
"I‟d ask that people act with responsibility and that they don‟t put themselves in
danger.
"I‟d also act that if you receive a nomination please do not feel influenced to
partake in any activity through peer pressure.”
Dr Sarah Jarvis, medical adviser to alcohol education charity Drinkaware
warned competitions to drink excessively in a short space of time can be
dangerous, and putting videos of these episodes online could affect people in
the long term.
“Quite apart from the risk of accident or injury as a result of drinking to excess,
there is another aspect to these online drinking games which is the
“cybershame” some young people may experience,” she said.
“Drinkaware research shows nearly half (47 per cent) of 18-24 year olds
admitted un-tagging drunk photos of themselves that they didn‟t want others to
see.
"However there is still a chance that these photos may be seen by universities
and prospective employers.
"So while it may seem like a lot of fun at the time, the range of negative
consequences are no laughing matter.”
The hashtag „neknominate‟ started trending in the UK in January 2013.

4. Questions:
Who is being represented?
What is the media? Refer to form and genre.
What characteristics of the group being represented are grounded in the text?
Who produced the representation?
What reasons might they have for producing this specific representation?
How do you respond to this representation?