It’s time to be real. The summer of 2022 saw the rise in popularity of a new social media platform: BeReal.
Many people, especially teens, have struggled in recent years with mental health as a result of social media. The need to constantly post and uphold their image is something that has become too much, and has led many to delete social media. Even with the idea of BeReal, some people have begun to delete the platform.
In today’s social media-driven age, many are shocked that BeReal rose to popularity in the first place, offering something no one has seen before. Once the BeReal alert goes off, users rush to their phones to take their “in the moment photo” —or, at least, that is the point of the app.
Until someone posts their own daily BeReal, they are unable to view other people’s posts. This feature is meant to fulfill the point of BeReal as stated by their official Twitter, “BeReal. Your Friends, for Real.”
Senior Rachel Vonderhaar posts on BeReal everyday. “It was designed to capture what the person was doing at that moment, but many twist the perspective and take it when they are doing something that they think others would want to see,” she said. Vonderhaar has noticed the change that has happened over summer since BeReal boomed.
Many people have seen the popularity to be problematic because of the fake reality that social media has created; a place filled with filters and “picture-perfect” moments. Celebrities and influencers have continuously promoted their perfect, unattainable life. Platforms like Snapchat and Instagram are rarely places that share in-the-moment parts of life.
Senior Madison Glaus is a student who does not have BeReal, but uses other forms of social media everyday. “I think social media has become more fake. People focus more on how people view them and what they look like rather than being themselves,” she stated. Glaus’ opinion is a major reason why people value the idea of BeReal and it is an opinion shared by many.
BeReal has given people the ability to interact with others online without the added “fakeness” of filters and perfection. By allowing users to wait to show the most exciting parts of the day, BeReal has simply added to the array of social media platforms that display seemingly-perfect lives. These factors raise the question, “Is BeReal real, or fake?”
