Features

Lets BeReal

Maddie Lamb, Staff Writer|September 14, 2022

When most people think of social media, the first thing that comes to mind is Snapchat, Instagram, or Tik Tok. However, recently the app BeReal has taken over the phones of teens all over the country. The app was originally launched back in December 2019 by former GoPro employee Alexis Barreyat, but it is just recently gaining popularity. According to Business of Apps, “BeReal monthly active users have increased from 921,000 in July 2021 to 21.6 million in July 2022. Just shy of three million people access the app daily.”

Example of BeReal taken by Maddie Lamb during lunch.

Most of the time, social media is for photos that are staged, edited, and filtered: however, BeReal is the exact opposite. Once a day at a random time, all BeReal users will receive a notification saying that you have two minutes to post a photo of what you are doing for all your friends to see. Hence, the name “BeReal.” Senior Charlotte Keller said, “I think it’s a fun app where you can see what your friends are doing and not feel as lonely.” The purpose of the app is to get to see the authenticity of its users. The camera in the app is dual faced so at the same time it takes a selfie of the user it also takes a photo of the area around them. The app also includes a time stamp which allows all your friends to see when you post.

If the two minute timer is missed, the app will still accept a late post. However, that defeats the purpose of “being real.” WMC sophomore, Paytyn Crisp, told The Paw, “I don’t like BeReal because people don’t actually post when it comes out.” Sophomore, Allie Tuleya expressed the same complaint when she told The Paw, “It’s not BeReal, It’s BeFake.”

Example of a BeReal taken by Lizzie Rubright on the way to a field hockey game.

In contrast, senior Lizzie Rubruit told The Paw, “My favorite part about BeReal is getting to see what my friends are doing at different times. Some people hate when there’s a late post but I kind of like seeing the most interesting part of their day.”

As BeReal began to grow in popularity, its competitors began to copy its features. For example, at the end of August 2022 Snapchat added a dual-camera feature for its users. Whether or not its creators got the idea from BeReal is still unclear, however the feature is gaining popularity amongst Snapchat users.