Just when we thought it impossible to create a new, groundbreaking social media app that could become as popular as Instagram or TikTok, BeReal appeared. This app invites its users to share content with their friends based on strict rules: users only have two minutes per day to capture a picture and share what they are doing at the moment the notification goes off.
With a similar format to Instagram’s ‘Stories’, Be Real seeks to capture what each user is doing at a specific moment in their daily lives. This app notifies all users at the same time when the two minute window to “be real” begins. All users are notified at the same time.
Posting pictures, seeing the pictures our friends post, and commenting on each other’s posts is a common feature on numerous social media platforms, but BeReal’s differentiating factor is that it offers these actions in a restrictive manner.
Another feature unique to the app is that when it is “time to BeReal”, the camera snaps pictures through both the front and back-facing cameras simultaneously.
The app’s recent success and its popularity among teens is due to its unique ways of uploading posts: although restrictive, the app stimulates its user’s imagination while differentiating itself from other apps. Unique features of BeReal include:
- Users can only share content when the app allows them to, not when they want to.
- Once users receive the notification to “BeReal” from the app, they have two minutes to post what they are doing. If a user misses this time frame, they can upload a “late”, or a late post.
- Uploaded pictures do not stay on the app, they are eliminated from everyone’s feed every day. Only you can see your archive.
- You can only view your friends’ posts after making a post of your own.
- In order to register, you must use a phone number.
Just like every other app, we suggest teenagers take extra safety precautions: adding only close friends and not including location on posts can help to steer clear of danger. If you would like to get to know more about safety on social media, we invite you to subscribe by clicking here to access exclusive content on cybersecurity.
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Translation by: Laura Vallejo
