Time to Talk About BeReal
Photo by SwimCreative
The day before school started, I was walking in the rain with one of my suitemates when I heard the BeReal notification go off. I rushed up Hardin’s front steps and pulled out my phone to take a BeReal. After I took the photo, my suitemate asked what it was for, and I explained the odd little curiosity that is BeReal.
BeReal is an app that sends a notification to all of its users at one random time a day. When the message gets sent, users have two minutes to take their BeReal, which simultaneously takes a photo using the front and back cameras. If users miss the notification, then they can still upload their BeReal later. However, it will be marked as late, and until one has posted, they can’t see their friends’ BeReals. The whole purpose of the app is to show the real side of people’s lives. Audrey Laper says, “There is no option for a filter or to delete it if you don’t like it.” Without a filter, users have no choice but to be real.
Perfect Timing
Photo by Theresa Johnson
Of course, some users will purposefully not post on time. Greta Simolke says she sometimes will “wait until I’m doing something more interesting.” I am guilty of this myself. There are only so many times that I want to take a picture of my desk or the front of my car. Sometimes I might wait until I’m with friends or in a different environment to take my BeReal.
Perhaps this defeats the app's purpose and makes it more like other social media platforms, but Centenary users seem to disagree. In my interviews, an overwhelming majority said they viewed BeReal as its own unique social media app. Many pointed out that Instagram has significantly more features when it comes to commenting, liking, and editing posts. Even an app like Snapchat isn’t quite the same as BeReal because, as Tuyen Chau puts it, “Snapchat is more utilized for messaging . . . BeReal really only has one feature, which is showing one specific moment.”
And despite those of us that occasionally don’t post on time, many Centenary users try to post when the notification goes off. Most people said the biggest reason for a late BeReal nowadays is only because the notification goes off during class.
The Instagram Dupe
The loyalty to BeReal and its charm might be necessary because Instagram has been testing two features that seem eerily familiar. The first is a feature called Dual, which lets users film using both the front and back cameras. The second is something called Candid Challenges, where Instagram will send you a notification to take a picture of what you are doing in a two-minute window. Of course, both of these features pretty much eliminate what makes BeReal special, right?
Well, a lot of people seem to think that what makes BeReal special is more like what makes Wordle special. Both are relatively quick things to do and can be shared with friends and family. It’s hard to endlessly scroll on BeReal, which is really hard to say for other social media apps.
Centenary Snapshots
In order to truly understand BeReal, it’s best to appreciate some BeReals from current Centenary students.