Meet BeReal, the new social network that wants you to “be real”
The new platform proposes to encourage users to be authentic with casual posts without filters and effects.
BeReal is the new social network available for Android and IOS and has a different proposal: to encourage users to “be themselves”.
Although it was launched in 2019, the application has significantly increased recently.
Conceived by French entrepreneurs, BeReal offers a casual dynamic, which goes opposite to social networks already consolidated in the digital world.
What is BeReal, and how does it work?
BeReal encourages users to be authentic and shows who they are “for real” daily. The app allows only one post per day and only when it sends a notification, at random times, for users to record and share with their friends what they are doing in that instant.
Up to two minutes are offered to take a picture with the front and rear cameras, and the images are uploaded simultaneously.
If the person makes too many photo attempts, as if trying to take a good picture, the app deletes the action and does not allow posting pictures for some time, blocking the user. In other words, everything has to be natural and fast.
People can’t apply filters either; you can’t place a photo when you want. You have to wait for the app’s notification.
Another curious point is that you can only see posts from friends if they also make a post at that time. Otherwise, the app doesn’t let you see it.
When the notification for the day is displayed, all previously posted images disappear so that only the user’s photos remain in the ‘your memories’ field – like Instagram memories, which only the user sees.
To add friends, you simply sync the app with your phone contacts. You can also share photos in the public feed called ‘Discovery’. Users from around the world can show who they are, where they are, and what they are doing at the time of the post. This option is only for those who want it.
What are the differences from Instagram?
Unlike Instagram, on BeReal, you cannot edit photos to post. The proposal is to capture ordinary moments of everyday life and avoid virtual “manipulations”.
The images captured by users are also not recorded in the feed since everything disappears.
Although it is possible to add friends to the network, there is no numerical “follower” count, although it is possible to react to publications through “RealMoji”.
There are six options available: a thumbs up, a shocked face, a smiling face, and one crying face. The difference here is that the user will need to take a selfie to reproduce the expressions of the emoji they want to choose.
Who can use BeReal?
Axios, the company responsible for the app, says that the target audience is generation Z – people born between the mid-1990s and early 2010. However, BeReal can be used by anyone over 13 years old who can download it from Google Play and App Store. No invitation is required.