Let’s BeReal
Let’s Be Real
By: Liv Mcgownd
You may have heard of an app called “BeReal.” Bereal is a popular app where a notification is sent out once a day, and everyone has 2 minutes to take photos of what they are doing right there and then. It takes two images, one with your back camera and one with your front. It gained popularity around early-mid 2022. It was released in 2020 by Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreu, both from France. So why is the app so popular? Why do kids love or hate it? What about teachers and parents?
As previously mentioned, the app BeReal only sends out a notification once a day, and everyone is given 2 minutes to post a photo of what they are doing. So is this app just as time-consuming as other social media apps? No. BeReal’s purpose was to counteract a popular social media app called “Instagram.” Instagram seems only to highlight the high moments of people’s lives. It presents life with a false reality and leads us to compare our lives with other people’s. We look at the photos and videos people post but fail to realize how staged, edited, and fake those posted moments are. However, with BeReal, people see what others do at the exact time they are every day without a filter. It allows us to break down that false reality and see that others’ lives aren’t as extraordinary as they may present on apps like Instagram. It gained popularity for that reason. 73% of kids who answered a Tribune survey heard about the app through a friend, and most people only use BeReal for around 10 mins a week. Others are used for hours a day. It gained popularity after people started to talk about it and post about it on another social media app, Tik Tok. Trends started forming where people post their favorite BeReals, making others want to join in on the trend and get the app.
So all of these photos, information, and data, where does it go? Like most apps, BeReal takes in your phone number, name, and birthday. When reading BeReal’s privacy policy states that all data collected stays within the BeReal database. BeReal also tracks the app’s location, photo data, and communication. The policy did not say what they do with the data.
You may have heard about a tribune survey titled “Let’s BeReal.” Two hundred forty kids responded. 50% of the kids had BeReal, and only 4.8% of people have had it for a year or more. 12% for a few days, 22% for a few weeks, and most people (60%) have had it for a few months. 73% of kids first heard about BeReal from a friend, 23% through social media, and the rest through online advertising.
So when you think about it, BeReal doesn’t seem all that bad. BeReal’s purpose was to counteract Instagram and break down this false reality of editing and filters. It helps us show that we aren’t what we present on social media and are more alike than we think.
