Brazil has been swept up in a sudden craze for WhatsApp groups where the only permitted form of communication is whistling. Typing or speaking is strictly forbidden, with violators facing immediate removal. Members send voice notes of whistled tunes, bird calls, or imitations, with some groups receiving up to 600 voice notes a day.
The trend has spread rapidly, with new groups emerging daily in the world's second-largest WhatsApp market. Some reach the 1,024-member limit in less than 24 hours, forcing administrators to create new groups. The most popular performances have garnered hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok, including renditions of songs by Evanescence and Gorillaz.
Judgment is passed through emojis and stickers, the only short-text formats allowed. A good whistle may earn a sticker echoing the 'absolute cinema' meme, but with a toucan or parakeet and the phrase 'absolute assobio' (Portuguese for whistling). Poor performances are criticised as having 'more wind than melody'.
Enzo Dias, an 18-year-old business administration student, created one of the first groups on 13 April. 'It was meant to be just for us; one friend invited another and before we knew it there were more than 500 people,' he said. His group now organises competitions via Instagram, where followers vote on voice note duels.
The craze has spawned niche groups dedicated to imitating dogs, cats, or donkeys, and sharing photos of cars in a single colour. Dr Adriana Amaral, coordinator of the CULTPOP research laboratory at Fluminense Federal University, sees it as a repetition of ephemeral online aggregation trends, allowing people to channel rituals and tastes into communities of affinity.
Ayran Ferreira, an 18-year-old law student who runs a group, expects the trend to fade. 'People want to take part just because it's trending online... but I think it will eventually fade,' he said. Some groups have closed overnight to enforce rules, and warnings about digital security risks of joining groups with strangers via open links have emerged.
