And the front lines of this annual prank-fest have moved from locker rooms and office cubicles to digital domains such as Facebook and smartphones.
With that in mind, here are some simple tech tricks you can play on your (hopefully even-tempered) friends Friday.
Use these tips, too, to be on the lookout for those who might try to prey on you.
Happy birthday!
One of Facebook’s most important functions is a reminder service for friends’ birthdays.
So, if allowed quick access to a friend’s Facebook page, change his or her birthday and watch the unknowing but sincere good wishes flow in by the dozen.
It’s best here to pick a date that isn’t April 1 people will be on the lookout for a prank but pick a date soon and wait patiently for the payoff.
And beware of Facebook engagement or divorce announcements Friday. Chances are they’re a trick.
Mistaken identity
Find a Facebook friend preferably one you have many mutual friends with who is willing to join in on the fun and swap profile photos and names with her or him.
Doing so instantly creates the impression to your mutual friends that you are the other and he or she is you, causing confusion.
See how long it takes your friends to realize they’ve been talking to the other.
Lost in translation
Many of the Internet’s top websites have versions in hundreds of languages for use worldwide. Some of those sites have fun languages hidden in there, too.
On your friend’s Google.com home page, head to the settings and change the Interface Language to Elmer Fudd.
Your friend now will be asked if he’d like to perform a Google seawch. Or he can tell the search engine he’s feewing wucky.
Facebook, too, includes support for a host of languages, including the ever-important pirate dialect.
To change this setting, scroll down to the very bottom of any Facebook page and select where it says “English.” Change the setting to English-Pirate and the whole Facebook experience reboots under the new language.
