BeReal is an app that has recently been causing quite a buzz. It is currently one of the highest ranking social media apps on iOS.
So, what exactly is BeReal?
The app was released back in 2020 by Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau. Traction was slow, with less than a million monthly users in 2021. However, it reached over 73 million monthly users by August.
This growth may be due to how BeReal differs itself from other apps. The most important separating point between BeReal and other social media apps used today is how posting on the app works.
BeReal prompts users to take one photo every day, one unedited photo every day at a random time, with a 2-minute timer to take the photo. The app takes a back and front shot from the phone’s two cameras.
Other aspects of BeReal that make it differ from other social medias is that the app doesn’t show follower counts, ads, or have the option to upload videos.
All of these approaches are designed to allow users to open up and share a more honest approach with their social media.
Social media is usually more of a background noise in my life and I didn’t really pay attention to BeReal until recently. One of my friends, a professor at a local college, brought it up as a way to keep up with his kids in another state.
I looked into the platform and seeing how it operates makes me personally believe it’s going to be around for a while.
The reason for this is because BeReal comes off as a transparent social media platform. It has an appeal to a lot of people because it’s more open, honest, and not saturated by the negative aspects that are typically related to social media.
The lack of filters, the decision to have no follower totals, and the fact that it reveals how many times you take the daily photo all mesh together to show a platform that is walking in a different direction.
BeReal’s gimmick, for a lack of a better word, is an appealing one for modern generations that have seen the shallower aspect of social media. It avoids that background noise that I personally view as the problem with social media. It’s simple and clear-cut.
The recent growth of the app seems to be representative of a healthy platform.
While the app currently lacks advertisement, which I see as a boon for the whole transparency angle, this may change due to its increase in population. This could be concerning as it might result in BeReal partially losing its identity.
Overall, I believe that BeReal’s unique stance, style of posts and overall atmosphere of transparency will allow the app to be more than a passing fad.