Time to BeReal. Authentic Connections or Cult Following?

Written and Designed by: Hannah Phua (23-O4)

BeReal, the social media app that has taken the world by storm, has one very simple feature: a daily simultaneous notification that encourages users to upload a dual-camera photo of themselves and their surroundings. Its main selling point is, as its name suggests, Being Real. By sharing what everyone is doing concurrently, it is a marriage of spontaneity and mundanity of authentic real life. 

Image Credits: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/30/bereal-is-the-latest-buzzy-social-media-app-trying-to-go-mainstream.html

Even if you live under a rock, chances are that you still would have heard of BeReal. Be it from someone else asking you to be in their BeReal, or the shouts of “BeReal! BeReal!” across the campus whenever the distinctive notification rings. So, while other social media fads have come and gone, what exactly sets BeReal apart, so much so that it has cemented itself in our daily lives?

One key contributing factor to BeReal’s sustained popularity is its daily cycle of engagement. Most applications observe trends in user metrics and implement updates to keep the audience coming back. Instead, BeReal follows a completely different method of keeping users engaged. This daily cycle of engagement is commonly used in games, in which there are greater rewards for completing certain tasks each day or a refresh system in games such as Wordle. By sending out a daily notification prompting users to take their BeReal, the app inadvertently Pavlov trains users to feel compelled to immediately interact with it whenever they receive any form of notification from the app. This allows for BeReal to have a consistent DAU (daily average users), a metric used to evaluate an application’s popularity.

Image credits: https://bereal.com/en/

Another reason for its immense popularity is that it addresses everything wrong with prevailing social media apps. Instagram, in particular, has been under fire for years, criticised for enforcing unrealistic body image standards that led to a rise in mental health issues and low self-esteem. The sleek and minimalist design of BeReal is the antithesis of Instagram’s glamour and statistics. Given the nature of the simultaneous posting function, images cannot be doctored, allowing for greater authenticity. There are also no likes or follower counts, instead being replaced by image reactions and mutual friends, making it difficult to compare and despair over one’s lack of popularity and engagement on their posts. The lack of such ‘popularity quantifiers’ allows BeReal users to focus on the connections forged and, to some extent, be more genuine about the way they portray themselves on social media. 

The app’s single-use function may seem like a waste of your storage space, as compared to other multipurpose social media apps, but it is an ingenious development decision. Other social media apps allow users to connect with friends, watch entertaining videos, and catch up on the news. A single click on Instagram with the intention to respond to a message can lead to one scrolling for hours on end. BeReal stands out in that unlike other apps that are specially made to captivate and hold your attention, BeReal only requires a few seconds. For comparison, Bondee and ZEPETO are other Gen-Z-targeted social media apps that shot up in popularity overnight. Unfortunately, due to the heavy amount of effort and dedication required to decorate one’s space and avatar, they quickly fell from popularity. Thus, BeReal’s short usage time and low effort prevent users from experiencing social media fatigue, while still encouraging them to continue coming back to it daily. 

Image credits: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zepeto-avatar-connect-play/id1350301428

However, BeReal is not without its issues. Its initial marketing as an app for ‘authentic real life’ was undermined as users would simply ignore the 2-minute window to post. Based on an informal poll I conducted, two-thirds of my friends admitted that they would just wait till they were doing something ‘more interesting’ to post. This issue was resolved with an update last year, allowing users to post 2 extra BeReals if they posted their first BeReal on time. After this update, the number of people ‘faking’ their posts dropped drastically, to almost zero. 

Image credits: BeReal

Alternatively, these extra BeReals can be frustrating to those who unintentionally miss the notification. Some even stated that they had to take a short break from BeReal, as “missing the notification had the potential to ruin their whole day.” Others also said that the new update compels them to post on time, but the anticipation of waiting for the notification can also be damaging. Those with a greater addiction to the app may even feel uncomfortable putting their phones down, worried that the notification will arrive at any time. While it is unfortunate for these individuals who have an unhealthy addiction to this app, it is a testament to the cult following of BeReal, highlighting the effectiveness of its model.

Another issue with BeReal, or rather, the issue with its users, is that notifications may come at unfortunate times. For many of my friends, this issue tends to be BeReal going off whilst they are on the toilet. Fortunately, they at least have the decency to make sure nothing gross can be seen, apart from their face and toilet floor, thus the main victim is just me being horrified. Personally, I have had multiple experiences of the extremely loud notification ringing in the middle of a test or whilst my class was being lectured by a teacher. More than once has a notification gone off in the middle of assembly or lecture, whereby an array of whispers will go “BeReal!”, and the spontaneous selfie-taking will begin (it is now occurring to me that the teachers probably think we are in some form of cult). While most teachers are relatively willing to be in the BeReals, others may be more disgruntled about the disruption to their lessons - both reactions are completely valid. But once again, this is not an issue with the app itself, but rather the users needing to learn that there is a time and place for social media. (Or at least be less obvious about taking your BeReal while we are getting scolded guys…)

Up till recently, BeReal was praised for its focus on human connections and being an advertisement-free platform. However, its newest features, RealPeople and RealBrands, sent users into a frenzy, fearing that BeReal would soon be invaded by social media influencers and capitalist advertisements, becoming just like every other monetised application. Users were outraged, claiming that this update goes against the very core concept of authenticity. 

Frankly, as an active user of BeReal, I was not even aware of this new update because it is optional and easy to ignore. Scrolling through this feature, I already notice that barely any of my friends follow these accounts. Furthermore, the feature seems to mainly consist of brands and TikTok influencers. The only celebrities I could find on it were Joe Jonas and Niall Horan, but they do not post regularly and the uploads are frankly not interesting at all, mainly being reposts from their concerts or images that can also be found on their Instagram accounts. Unexpectedly, it does not live up to the promise of “seeing celebrities in ways you never have before - being real!” After all, they have their public images to maintain, and if they were willing to be candid with their fans, they would already be doing so on other platforms. To sum up this update, you would only give it the time of day if someone you stan joins the platform. If not, it is quite easy to ignore. 

Image credits: BeReal

In my personal experience, most of the people in my social circles, myself included, first installed BeReal back in 2022, when it first started getting popular. However, since most secondary schools do not allow us to use our phones during school hours, the whole point of taking your BeReal at the same time as everyone else has been lost. However, once we got to JC, I reinstalled it, since we now had free reign over our phones! Furthermore, there is more diversity to the content I would see since all of us had differing timetables. Beyond the circle of EJ students, it is also interesting to see the daily lives of friends in other schools or even those who had travelled overseas for their studies. (Also there were a lot of soft-launched relationships on sneakily taken BeReals, which may or may not have been my main motivation to re-install the app.)

Ultimately, I believe that BeReal will remain popular amongst our age group, despite the claims of it falling from popularity. With its key purpose of maintaining connections with friends, it will certainly be a unique tool for us to remain in touch with our friends even as we move on to university and working life. Furthermore, as an interviewee said, “It’s a time capsule of your life”, serving to preserve the mundane and spontaneous moments of our daily life.