BeReal: What is it, and why is it so popular?

by Jade Dierckx · 20/09/2022

You’ve probably seen BeReal everywhere in the past few months. You know, those pictures with both the front and back camera. The app already has more than 20 million users worldwide. But what is it exactly? And why is everyone so hooked?

Be-what?

BeReal is a social media app where you can share photos. What’s different with this platform is the focus on authenticity. BeReal encourages its users to… be real.

But how does it work? Well, it’s pretty simple. Users get a notification at a random time each day. They then have 2 minutes to take and upload a picture. No filters. No editing. Just a real, in the moment picture of what you’re doing. How thrilling or boring it may be. You can also react to your friend’s BeReals with a “Realmoji” AKA a pic of your interpretation of an emoji. Fun, right?

Why is it so popular?

In the age where almost everything you see on social media is edited, BeReal is a breath of fresh air. There’s no pressure to get lots of likes or to go viral. You can just be who you are. The unpredictability of when the notification comes also gives you the opportunity to share different parts of your life. Both the interesting and the mundane. Plus, it’s a nice change to not be spammed with ads.

BeReal isn’t the only platform like this that has gained popularity. Poparazzi is another “authentic” social media app that is trendy. Even on Instagram you can see the shift to more realness – I’m looking at you, photo dumps. So, clearly more people like this new, authentic route that social media is taking.

The “traditional” social media apps have also caught onto this hype. TikTok for example has launched a new feature called TikTok Now. You get a notification at a random time each day to post a photo or a 10-second video. Sounds familiar right? And they’re not the only ones. Snapchat has launched Dual Camera and Instagram has announced Candid Challenges. So, enough options to “be real” 😉.