What’s the appeal of BeReal? Deciphering social media authenticity

You could argue that the concept of reality has lost all meaning. Reality can be virtual, augmented or extended. It can be television carefully orchestrated behind the scenes by producers. If reality can be curated, is anything actually real?

For years, social media has been dominated by aesthetic. Instagram grids morphed from a product feature into an aspiration—something you could form into the image of your ideal self, life or brand. Facebook feeds went from stream of consciousness to uplifting updates. LinkedIn posts weren’t just about your professional experience, they were about your entire professional outlook. Terms like “personal brand” became part of the lexicon. Gen Z watched it all happen in real-time, growing up in a reality that wasn’t quite real, but it wasn’t fake either. People took those trips and made those life changes. They just edited out the inconvenient details that make life, well, real.

It’s clear that Gen Z isn’t entirely comfortable with that version of reality. Across platforms, young people have decided to share it all, from messy break-ups to professional failures. These posts are engaging for the viewer but seem to be equally cathartic for the poster. It’s a different version of personal brand.

But social media trends shift constantly. Should platforms build themselves around the current moment? That’s the question behind BeReal.

What is BeReal?

BeReal is a social media platform built around spontaneity. A prompt goes out to everyone at the same time. You have two minutes to take a picture of yourself and your surroundings—and if you don’t, the app lets your friends know.

Instead of a post time, it shows how long you took to respond to the notification. You can only add people you know directly. There’s no algorithm dictating whose posts you see, and there isn’t much to scroll through. Two minutes can also make up your total time spent on the app, a welcome change for social media fatigued users. The result is an app that’s reminiscent of past eras but also distinctly grounded in today. BeReal has risen to prominence quickly, with over 7 million global downloads as of May 2022. There’s clearly something to their methods.

when are we gunna admit that BeReal is just yassified streaks

— 𝐃𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐲 🕷️ (@deissyO3) August 9, 2022