WhatsApp: Why Brazilians love sending voices? we investigate

There is no doubt that Brazilians love social networks and instant messengers and one of the most loved It is definitely WhatsApp. Unlike Messenger, the green bubble app is available on almost all devices and has become synonymous with practicality for many.

This way, More than 147 million people use WhatsAppAccording to research published by Statista in November 2023. When talking about usage trends in Brazil, in addition to the ease of calling and video conferencing, another factor stands out: sending sounds.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained in June this year: Brazilians send 4 times more voices than other regions in the worldSo the question that remains is: Why do we like this option so much, after all?

To try to answer this question, TecMundo I spoke to some experts. Here’s why we send so many voices throughout the day.

Fewer errors in interpretation

Confess: You rarely sent a huge text message on WhatsApp. Maybe that’s a very vague memory in your head, but it definitely sent a voice that easily exceeded a minute or two.

Academia has not produced any research to substantiate this behavior, at least as far as we know, but there is evidence that helps us understand why we do it.

Elisa Battisti, associate professor at the Institute of Literature of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), says that in most cases, writing is a more expensive means of communication, due to the fact that it takes more practice (knowing how to write, deciding on words, for example).

“HoweverSome Brazilians, especially the most educated, If you interpret this difficulty as a lack of practice rather than a lack of knowledge, it would be reasonable to say that they send a lot of noise because of the difficulty of writing.” he comments.

The teacher also states that speaking has many benefits over writing. While the act of communicating with sound is learned spontaneously, writing/reading is learned through instruction and practice over a long period of time.

“Speaking develops as a natural ability of the human species, writing/reading is established as a technology, an invention. Each can benefit us as much as necessary. NCommunication via WhatsApp, talking is cheaper than writing“It takes less time and you don’t have to think too much about the wording,” he emphasizes.

There are nuances to the sound

Brazilians love to communicate not only through speech, but also to gesture with their hands and make expressions with their faces. All this complexity often gets lost in the colder text communication.

Professor Elisa Battisti explains that the pleasure of speaking does not make Brazilians have a culture of the so-called “oral tradition”; This is a feature for people who don’t use typing.

Carol Jesper, who holds a Masters in Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree at USP, adds that there are still indigenous peoples in the country who maintain vibrant oral practices, but generally speaking, Brazilians living in urban areas use speech because of its benefits over writing.

“The current preference for verbal communication may also be related to the ease of expressing emotions, intonations and other nuances. It is also worth remembering that: We are not yet a fully literate people.“Therefore, effects such as sarcasm, irony and even humor can be difficult to express in a written text by someone who does not have full command of this language,” he says.

Jesper also says that the verbal method of language allows for the use of nonverbal elements such as intonation. He argues that resources such as punctuation and even formatting such as bold and italics can help convey these nuances, but many people still don’t know how to use them.

Be careful: Zap sounds can also be a source of embarrassment

Elisa Battisti notes that communicating via voice is useful not only for people who are not very good at writing. also for walkers or elderlyFor example.

However, although the famous “Zap sounds” are repeated more often in our daily lives due to rush or habit, they are not immune from failure. In this case, it’s important to emphasize that, unlike written text, where you can edit the message if necessary, speaking doesn’t always create opportunities for reflection. “Speaking can give away your nervousness through the tone of your voice,” Battisti says.

Carol Jesper also points out that face-to-face conversations can have consequences, especially because the conversation is more spontaneous. In the case of WhatsApp, the possibility of something being recorded also poses risks to the interlocutor.

“How can a recording make it easier to listen again, A message that is carelessly recorded but listened to carefully and persistently can also lead to misunderstandings.“She is completing her master’s degree in education.