How BeReal Completely Changed Social Media
BeReal is a free app available on all operating systems that allows users to show their true selves. Once a day at any random time, a notification saying “Time to BeReal” goes off, giving all users across the world two minutes to show their friends what they are doing at that moment, or “being real”. In those two minutes, the front and back cameras simultaneously take photos to depict what is happening. You are still able to post after those two minutes are up, but cannot view other users’ posts until you post your own. Friends can also react to your post, using a customizable “RealMoji” which allows users to take a picture based on a certain emoji and pre-fill a RealMoji, or take a new one each time. Users can also comment on friends’ posts and see what time each BeReal was taken.
This BeReal was taken while doing research for this assignment! I am in my pajamas, no makeup, and sitting on my couch, showing my true and authentic self in that moment.
-
According to a fact sheet the app creators provided to USA Today, “We want to make people feel good about themselves and their lives. We want an alternative to addictive social networks fueling social comparison and portraying life with the goal of amassing influence,” allowing users to show their most authentic selves without the filters and editing like other social media platforms. While the app was created in 2020, CNN reports that 65% of its users signed up in 2022 alone, creating a 315% increase since its inception.
It has become so popular that TikTok has tried to replicate it with “TikTok Now,” a version available to all current users giving them three minutes to post instead of two, but still has the same general concept. It is not as popular as the original, but the first of many major platforms attempting to take part in the instant picture craze.
-
Short answer? Absolutely.
Blog site Advil Media says that “BeReal forces its users to be okay with sharing the less-than-perfect version of themselves, and may even help navigate people away from spending hours and hours on their favorite platforms. This app has been used as a refreshing and healthy way to use social media and simply stay connected with your friends.” BeReal’s whole purpose is to show the real side of people, which is why it does not allow for filters and gives friends a glimpse into their daily lives. No filters, no hashtags, no false reality, unlike platforms like Instagram and TikTok where users can alter their appearances to look more attractive. Social media apps like these give people of all ages, genders, and sexualities a false sense of reality. The two-minute limit doesn’t allow users to add a filter or photoshop the background. It shows the real you, the one that can easily be hidden behind the filter and photoshop. Many users love the refreshing authenticity the app gives users, breaking the negative stigma around the airbrushed augmentation of reality that other platforms capitalize on. While it is hard to say just how long BeReal will be on top of the social media game, it is certain that it has made a huge impact on how users perceive themselves and others online.
-
https://www.anvilmediainc.com/blog/how-bereal-is-impacting-the-social-media-space/#:~:text=BeReal%20forces%20its%20users%20to,stay%20connected%20with%20your%20friends
https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/21/business/bereal-social-media-app-cec/index.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2022/06/23/can-you-delete-bereal-app-work/7703241001/