There’s a new social network app in town, and it’s all about authenticity. BeReal is based on the premise that we’re all tired of the fake photos and filtered lives that are so prevalent on other social networks. With BeReal, you can share photos of your actual life, without worrying about how they’ll look to others. It’s the perfect app for people who want to connect with others in a more genuine way. So, just another new Instagram or Snapchat clone? Yes and no. However, I found the mechanics quite interesting. Let’s check into why BeReal is special in its own ways.
BeReal and #NoFilter
BeReal takes authenticity to a whole new level by delivering an exciting and unique experience to users. Every day at a specified time, BeReal notifies all its users simultaneously to capture and share a photo within two minutes. This encourages users to be spontaneous and have fun, creating moments that would otherwise never be captured or shared. Equally, in order to view the posts of your friends, you have to participate, and no longer just lurk and idle around, which keeps things interesting. Here’s a sketch from Saturday Night Life, featuring BeReal in October, so you can get an idea of how it works, even though it feels a bit like an ad.
⚠️ TIME TO BEREAL. ⚠️ but you’re robbing a bank #SNLPremiere pic.twitter.com/ofvre6mDuf
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) October 2, 2022
If you missed the deadline, this surely occurred to me sometimes, as I’m not continuously looking at my smartphone, you can still post a “Late”, and can then see the posts of others. Every post is a snapshot that uses both cameras on the front and the back of the smartphone, so there are some ways to think of something creative but don’t forget the clock is ticking. There is some interesting potential here for new trends in social media, but only if BeReal prevails and can get more users. Here’s a BeReal post from me, weird and unshaven, as real as it gets, writing an article for TechAcute, of course.
The team at BeReal states, “Our product is what our users want to make it – whether it’s seeing what your grandparents are up to today or staying in touch with your best friends across the globe, BeReal is here to connect you to the people that matter to you.” The app is still new and growing, but it’s already gained a loyal following of users. You can discover other random users too, and leave them a reaction, but there is no such thing as a hashtag feed and the app isn’t focused on followers and fame.
Escape the ads and download for free
BeReal doesn’t cost anything and has no ads as of now, and it’s unclear how they would monetize the platform, as they don’t focus on working with brands as their current strategy. I would however recommend them a sort of content moderation, as I already encountered some toilet posts in the public discovery feed, that I would have preferred not to see. The app is not so popular as of now, but it has the potential to become a nice place to be in the digital sphere in my opinion. Why not try it out? It’s available for iOS and Android. Maybe I’ll see you there with our real moments.
If you want to learn how it works without first downloading the BeReal app, check out the useful tutorial video below for BeReal beginners by Andrii.
YouTube: How to use BeReal? Tutorial by Andrii from MrHack.io
Photo credit: The feature image is symbolic and has been done by Eugenio Marongiu. The embedded sketch is owned by SNL and the screenshot was taken by Christopher Isak for TechAcute.
