A new social media app, “BeReal,” is gaining popularity among University students. Unlike other social media platforms, BeReal only allows users to post once a day.
Sophomore Elise Siklosi has recently begun using BeReal with her friends.
“There are a ton of things I like about this platform,” Sikolsi said. “For one, the lack of opportunity to perfect any and every photo via Photoshop or filter. You have no other option but to be real.”
Each day, BeReal sends a notification to users at a random time. When the users receive the notification, they take a picture of what is directly in front of them and a picture of their face. These two photos automatically post to their profile for their “be real” of the day.
“I love seeing people’s different perspectives at a certain point randomly throughout the day,” junior Tyler Davis said. “It’s so interesting to see what people are doing at, like, 4:12 p.m.”
Users do not have to post right when they see the notification, but their post will indicate how late they posted for the day.
Senior Grace Woodward has been recruiting friends to download the app since she started using it.
“I believe so many people are attracted to the app because it strips away the superficial side of most media platforms, and people can just be themselves,” Woodward said. “It encourages others to just share a small bit of what they are doing in that one moment.”
Following people on the app can be done by adding friends who are in your area or through the user’s phone contacts.
“It connects people who are not in the same location and makes them feel like they are together,” Woodward said.
Some users are keeping their BeReal accounts small to ensure a close atmosphere.
“I keep a very tight group of friends on there, like, I only have 15 friends, and I kinda doubt I’ll add much more than that because I don’t want it to be another social media where it’s just extending as far as you can,” Davis said.
Siklosi anticipates using the app past the time of its popularity.
“I will continue to use BeReal for the sake of keeping up with my friends in a healthy way,” Siklosi said. “It’s not something that has me searching for instant gratification from mindless scrolling. BeReal differs in the sense that there is, to my knowledge, no algorithm that is designed to keep the user entertained for hours on end. This unique platform is free from perfectionism, ultimately giving the users the opportunity to be digitally transparent.”
