BeReal : Is it the same as all other social media outlets?

Valeria Marquez, Staff Writer

 

“Time to BeReal: 2 minutes left to capture a BeReal and see what your friends are up to!”

BeReal has been blowing up. Not really though.

So what is it? Everyday, at a random hour and minute, a notification pops up and let’s you know you have 2 minutes left.  In between these 2 minutes, you take a picture. Really it’s 2 pictures. You can choose to pose for one or the other You can also choose to react to others’ posts if you want. If you don’t post between these random 2 minutes, they give you 2 minutes to post at a time that is more convenient for you. As long as you don’t post, you cannot see nor react to other people’s posts. I personally have the app and use it daily. I have been for a little over a week and here’s what I’ve observed. There are many positives on this app along with things that make this app less genuine.

This app is different from others in many ways because it promotes transparency and reality. Some people don’t really like to use this feature because they post late. Either this or they genuinely miss it. When people post this and truly don’t change their backgrounds or retake their pictures 5 times, we create a space where there is reality upon all of us. Most of the time, these alerts come when we are sitting down watching Gilmore Girls, reading a school book, doing our homework, or being at practice. The thing about reality is that it doesn’t have to be pretty, it jut has to be real.

Overall the concept and idea is pretty good, but there are still some ways that this app could be manipulated. I don’t think that any app can be 100% real and factual, but this app is the closest by far. It’s the least toxic form of media I have seen.  It’s a new, cool, and interesting experience. I think everyone should try and give it a chance. It might surprise you how boring everybody is.