Generation Z has a new photo-sharing app in their lives called BeReal. Founded in 2020, BeReal has only just started seeing a surge in popularity in 2022, especially with a younger audience. Could it be that Instagram has started to become old news?
If you’ve never heard of it before, you may be wondering “what is BeReal?” Well, we’re here to answer that question, along with how it works and why it has started to become so popular.
What Is BeReal?
BeReal is a social media application founded by French app developer Alexis Barreyat in 2020. BeReal is available for both iOS and Android devices. While BeReal didn’t find much of audience upon its launch, it started seeing a spike in popularity in 2022, particularly with college campuses, thanks to an ambassador program launched by BeReal.
As of April 2022, BeReal had been downloaded over 7.67 million times, according to TechCrunch, with 65% of those download numbers occurring in 2022 and by July 2022, the number of downloads had increased to over 20 million.
How Does BeReal Work?
BeReal is a photo-sharing social media app at its very core. But, the way it works and the way you share photos – or rate, share a BeReal – is entirely different to how you would use other platforms such as Instagram.
In the app description on the Apple App Store, BeReal says it is “your chance to show your friends who you really are, for once,” as states it “won’t make you famous. If you want to become an influencer you can stay on TikTok and Instagram.”
BeReal takes advantage of both the front and rear cameras on your smartphone, which are used to take the BeReal you share with your friends within the app. However, the app chooses when you should take a BeReal photo.
How To Take A BeReal
At a random time throughout the day, BeReal will notify you to take a BeReal and only give you a 2-minute window within which to take and share it. If the 2-minutes expire and you don’t share, then you can still post, but the app will tell you how late you were in taking your photo.
The idea is that you share with your friends what you are up to at that exact moment, as opposed to you choosing what you want to share with friends, whenever you want to share it. You do get multiple attempts to take and share your BeReal within your allotted time window, and how long you take is also shared with other users.
Users and friends you have on the BeReal app can comment on the BeReal photo you share, and can also react to it using “RealMojis.” These require you to recreate some popular emojis, such as thumbs up, a shocked face or a smiling face.
You can also choose to take an image of yourself providing any reaction you want.
Once you have shared a BeReal, you can add a caption to your image to give it greater context.
Memories
In your profile section, BeReal shows you your previous BeReal images, which are called “memories.”
Can You Delete A BeReal?
Yes, you can delete a BeReal, but you only get one chance to do so. You also can’t share more than one BeReal within your timed window.
By only offering one chance to delete, BeReal lives up to its name by forcing users to “be real,” and to not use any editing software, or give them chance to make themselves appear how they want to be viewed on social media. There are no filter options of any kind on BeReal.
Why Is BeReal Popular?
BeReal has become popular with a younger audience because it offers something fresh. One review on the Apple App Store says, “What I love about this app is that you don’t have to replace the other social media apps you already have. It’s just a simple little extension in your day, and it’s fun!”
And, because of the fact you only need to interact with the app for two minutes every day, it offers the chance to cut down on screen time. Or at least, it doesn’t buy into the fact many of us have a social media addiction, spending hours each day scrolling through our feeds.
BeReal App
Follow these links to download the BeReal app for iOS and Android. The BeReal app is free to download and there are no in-app purchases.
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