The problem with social media
If you're over the age of 30, you likely remember the "good ol' days" before social media. While there are many positives to the rise of social media, like keeping up with friends and family and the ability to quickly spread news, there is also a downside.
Posts on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok tend to be heavily curated, often unrealistic and one-sided. Social media has become an arena for people to compare themselves to one another, often leading to feelings of inadequacy. In addition, many people feel pressure to present only their best side online, thus curating an unrealistically perfect version of themselves that's impossible to keep up with.
So how can we find a social platform that encourages users to be more honest and show their authentic selves online? That's where BeReal comes in and shines in a way we didn't expect!
What makes BeReal stand out
Whenever another social media app comes out, it's almost like there's a collective sigh heard worldwide at one more thing to distract us and keep up with. But BeReal is different in so many ways compared to social media platforms that are made to get you to log in and scroll endlessly for hours.
BeReal aims to fix the problem of curated feeds and endless scrolling by providing an honest and balanced view of people's lives. How? BeReal removes the like buttons, the follower counts, and those annoying filters that have us criticizing our actual filterless appearances.
Instead of encouraging users to edit their lives to create a perfectly aesthetic feed, BeReal encourages users to capture the real, honest moments of their lives by only allowing users to post one photo per day in real time.
So how does it work? BeReal sends everyone a notification once per day at a random time, giving users a two-minute window to capture what they're currently doing. There's no way to upload a highly edited photo. You simply have two minutes to capture a photo using both the front and back camera, allowing people to see where you are and what you look like as well.
But it gets even better! You can't like, give thumbs up, or send a generic emoji response to interact with your friend's posts. Instead, you take a live "realmoji," which is basically a circular photo of your own face. This causes you to slow down and, instead of just mindlessly hitting "like," take the time to think about your reaction and interaction with the person and their post.
When it comes down to it, BeReal really is just another social media platform. However, this one is focused on being authentic and is a much-needed respite from the curated and heavily filtered feeds of Instagram.
An end to endless scrolling
While the main draw of BeReal is its focus on providing an authentic, in-the-moment platform for users, it also stands out from its competitors because it doesn't aim to keep you on the app forever. We all know the mindless scrolling that Instagram, TikTok, and even Facebook encourage. With BeReal, it's wildly different.
Because BeReal only allows users to post one photo per day, there is a limited amount of content to scroll through. Most users share photos, scroll through posts for the day, and move on rather than lingering on the app for too long.
Why we need more authenticity and less perfectionism
Social media can have some pretty negative impacts on mental health. We compare our bodies and lifestyles, count likes and followers, and feel like we have to present a perfectly edited version of ourselves online. There has to be another way to keep up with those we care about and share our day without feeling the need to be perfect or see someone else's highlight reel.
Will it stick?
There's no denying that the concept of BeReal is intriguing. But is it really here to stay, or will it be just another respectable but ultimately failed attempt at a new social media platform?
The main concern is that encouraging users to spend less time on the platform may be great for mental health, but how does that translate to the platform's success? As a business strategy, it may be a bit of a gamble. It's too early to tell, but it's worth keeping an eye on to see if this new social media platform will be able to stick around long-term.
