What is BeReal?

BeReal is a Social Media app that encourages people to share a picture within a 2-minute time slot. The purpose of this to capture your authentic self, unlike Snapchat or Instagram where you can edit your photos.

How does it work?

Everyone with the app receives a notification saying “ Time to BeReal. ” randomly throughout the course of the day. You simply take a picture within the 2-minute time slot, which captures your front camera and back camera. You can’t check other peoples’ posts until you post your own picture. You can post outside of the 2-minute time slot but you would be called out and your BeReal would show up as late. You can also retake your picture, but other users will be able to see the amount of times you retake the photo. You can interact with other peoples’ BeReals by reacting with a RealMoji, where you take a selfie. You can pre-save a RealMoji, which is an emoji of yourself, or you can take a RealMoji in that moment.

Why is it blowing up?

Social Media can be very toxic and harsh. We often are self critical and compare ourselves to others, and we can simply edit a photo, not capturing our authentic selves. The concept of BeReal is to capture yourself in the moment, creating a healthier and more realistic environment in Social Media.

There are still many people that are opposed to the concept of BeReal, saying that it’s just like Snapchat, or there’s no point because you can retake your photos. The argument of whether you should use BeReal or not is up to you.