This Is How A Teenager's Suicide Sparked Panic Over "Blue Whale" Online Communities

The panic began in November 2015, Rina Palenkova went viral after she posted this photo of herself to Russian social media website VK — with the message "goodbye" — shortly before killing herself by jumping in front of a train.

It became a meme in Russia, called Nya.Poka or "Nya, Goodbye." It made national news and marked the first time that teen culture on VK, especially teens sharing thoughts of suicide, was discussed in the mainstream Russian press. The meme quickly spread beyond Russia, as well.

Palenkova had apparently shared VK posts about depression and suicide before her death

"— Doctor, people avoid contact with me and constantly bully me.
— Hmm, most likely it's a matter of unreasonable show-offs and ugly fucks.
— And what can I do?
— Try not to leave the house at all and not to communicate with anyone, should help.
— Thank you very much, doctor."

In May 2016, Novaya Gazeta published an in-depth feature called "Death Groups."

The investigation stated that there were small communities online — similar to the pages Palenkova had showed an interest in — that attracted teens with a game called "Blue Whale" or "Wake me up at 4:20."
The types of accounts whose posts Palenkova was sharing reportedly went on to publish images of her after her death. Many of these groups considered her a symbol for a darker part of the Russian-speaking internet.
According to the Novaya Gazeta article, these small, exclusive communities on VK guided teens through a series of games, with the end goal of getting them to kill themselves. These games or challenges apparently involved drawing whales, playing with knives, and waking up at 4:20 a.m. to talk to others on VK. A book called 50 Days Before my Suicide was said to have unwittingly been an inspiration for the challenge aspect of the reported groups. The name the groups soon became known as came from Russian band Lumen's song "Burn," which is about depression




STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME !