A Gen Z’s Guide To BeReal: What Is It And How Do You Use It?
Despite living in a world of Zuckerberg, BeReal is a social media application that skyrocketed from the ashes, and is definitely here to stay
Ranked number 1 on the app store, BeReal is the antidote to when social media can get just a bit too excessive. “Your friends for real,” the slogan makes it a unique way to uncover who your friends are in their daily life.
Founded in 2020 by Alexis Barreyat, BeReal soared with a whopping 315% increase in users by January 2022. But what’s all the hype? Bazaar Arabia breaks it down for you….
What is BeReal and How Do You Use It?
The latest buzz to capture the internet’s attention is a photo-sharing app that was developed with the hope of bringing authenticity back onto social media selfies.
BeReal prompts users to take raw, unfiltered pictures of themselves and their surroundings to give friends a glimpse into the happenings of their life at a specific moment.
This candid, very anytime, anywhere app will give you a notification at any unpredictable time of day, and you have to follow up with an almost instantaneous post. The air of surprise is the hidden motive behind BeReal’s purpose of originality. If you don’t complete this daily challenge, you will be penalised in a way where you won’t have access to what your friends are doing.
One of the major gripes of other social media platforms is that they allow users to maniacally edit their pictures before posting; this one is like a needle in a haystack where you have exactly 2 minutes to give your hair a quick fix and smile wide for the camera, devoid of any ostentatious.
You can take however many retakes you desire, but these will be communicated to fellow BeRealer’s. Any attempts of sneakiness like screenshotting a BeReal will be notified to the owner of the post.
A breath of fresh air; you can showcase your life for exactly how it is sans the sugar-coat. React on posts with Realmojis that capture your facial expression instead of traditional emojis used on every social media platform. Explore what people from all over the world are doing with the discovery tab. The profile page holds a calendar with memories, a fond way of reminiscing moments from the past.
So…How Do You Download BeReal?
BeReal is available on the app store and can be downloaded with the this link.
In this technological world helmed by social media giants like Snapchat and Instagram, new start-ups like BeReal try to tap into this otherwise monopolized market. Still, the question stands do they really have that prowess to capture the audience’s attention over time?
Only time will tell.
Lead image courtesy of Instagram/@leonieHanne