In early 2022, the app “BeReal” became popular, especially among teenagers and young adults. Every day a notification from the app tells users they have two minutes to take a photo no matter where they are. After posting the “BeRea,l” users have the opportunity to look at all of their friends’ photos that were taken at that time.
Users can retake as many pictures as they want before the two-minute timer is up, but friends on the app are able to see how many retakes were taken. According to NBCNewYork, if users miss a “BeReal” they can still post, however it shows how late they were the following time the notification came out. Junior Karlyn Archibald enjoys the app and posts after every “BeReal” notification occurs.
“My favorite thing about “BeReal” is the random timing that it gets sent out every day,” Archibald said. “It’s a fun social media platform.”
Like Archibald, senior Lexee Wickman enjoys how the notification goes off at different times of the day. Most of the time, it catches people off guard.
“I like that you can only have a certain amount of friends on the app,” Wickman said. “I also like how it goes off at random times. It was like 11:50 at night and I was bawling my eyes out. The notification went off, and of course, I had to take a picture.”
On the other hand, junior Rosany Ruiz said that “BeReal” is pointless because most people using the app are fake and don’t actually follow the “BeReal” standards.
“It’s so useless to me. The two-minute notification is so stressful and sometimes it doesn’t load. There is also no point in it for me when you don’t have many friends to add. Plus everyone on “BeReal” is fake.” Ruiz said. “Some people on there are really just not good looking, they are so fake especially with all that makeup on, like I could never wear that much makeup it just feels so cakey. It is so useless. I find no point in it because you could just use Snapchat. I really just don’t get the hype about ‘BeReal.’ Anyways, as I said, everyone on “BeReal” is so fake.”
According to Scotsman, the app is supposed to encourage people to be more genuine and show their true selves the moment the notification goes off. The app’s goal is to normalize not having edited or filtered photos. The “BeReal” app is becoming a very popular platform and according to Onlineoptimism, the app has been installed more than 53 million times by people all over the world. When asked who inspired Archibald to get the app, she explains that a family member from a different state told her about it.
“My cousin in Georgia has “BeReal” so I got it too. I think the point of the app is to be another social media platform that brings people together,” Archibald said.