StayReal.

Image Courtesy: @sumedia

“Time to Be Real!”

“BFFR.”

“Be f*cking for real!”

The social media app BeReal is becoming one of the most popular forms of social media, but with a twist. If you don’t know, BeReal is a different type of social media, in which once-a-day the app sends you a notification telling you “Time to Be Real,” giving you two minutes to capture a picture on the front and back of your camera of what you're doing. The app hinges on being authentic and allowing people to show their real selves, but for how long will people be and stay real?

In August of 2022, Kaitlyn Tiffany wrote an article for the Atlantic called “There is No Reason to BeReal.” In the article, Tiffany explains how while BeReal’s claim to authenticity seems to be what is missing from social media culture, the app is essentially turning into every other social media platform, as people aren’t using the app as intended and even posting their BeReal content onto other social media platforms, like Instagram and TikTok.

I agree with Tiffany. As a BeReal user myself, over time the app has lost its authenticity. Although BeReal tells you that you have two minutes to take a photo, there is nothing stopping you from waiting hours to take the photo when you are actually doing something fun instead of just sitting in your house. You can also retake your BeReal as much as you would like until you get the perfect selfie, which I myself have been guilty of doing on occasion. While BeReal will let my friends see how many times I have retaken my photo, that is not really enough to prevent me, or others, from doing it.

BeReal can stay real, but that is completely dependent on the user themselves. While, as Tiffany explained, BeReal can be inauthentic and feel like any other social media platform, I think it is  the user’s responsibility to use the app and make it real. One way to do this is to keep your BeReal circle of friends small. The whole point of the app is that it is not like every other social media platform, so you can’t treat it as such. I’ve noticed that the more people I’ve added to BeReal, the more self-conscious I’ve become when posting, and therefore, the less real I have become. I am aware that people I wouldn’t necessarily BeReal with in reality are looking at what I post and now I am curating my BeReals to that audience, the same way I would an Instagram post. So when you are adding people on BeReal, take the word friend literally. No acquittance or crushes you flirted with once or twice, just actual friends, people you are comfortable being real and authentic with.

This next tip may seem self-explanatory, but you should take your BeReal when you get the notification. While there are obvious exceptions to this rule, in which you may not have access or it may not be the appropriate time to be real, such as if you are in an important meeting, interview, or maybe using the restroom (but I mean if you want to do then more power to you I guess). However, if you are just sitting in your room doing nothing and the notification goes off, why not BeReal? Yeah, it might seem a little boring, but that’s how the app works. I have countless BeReals in my bedroom blankly staring at my computer screen, and while it’s not the most exciting thing to capture, I think it’s interesting to look back at what I was doing that day, and what was I working on. So, hold yourself accountable, and take BeReal when it goes off. There is no point in taking it 24 hours later. Capturing those mundane moments will make it much more exciting when the BeReal happens and you're actually doing something fun. 

BeReal can be like every other social media app, as Tiffany claims, but I think it's unique in that it does allow the user to capture candid moments that they wouldn’t necessarily do if not prompted. Having used BeReal for almost a year now, I enjoy looking back on little insignificant moments, which have now been transformed into cherished moments. Whether that was watching TV with my parents or studying with friends, those are now little memories I can look back on and smile, and I have those moments because I was being real. Looking into the future, I see BeReal as a way in which I can stay connected with people, especially my friends and family, who won’t be living down the hallway from me or in the same town in a year's time. BeReal, unlike every other social media platform, captures those little moments, the ones you might forget about in a year, and allows you to stay connected with others on a day-to-day basis, and you just can’t do that in the same way with Instragam or Snapchat. 

So, I encourage you to BeReal. Take those unflattering selfies after a night out. Embrace the mundane just as much as you do the exciting moments. It’s your life and it’s real.

Strike Out, 

Writer: Isabelle Grassel

Editors: Katie Sharp, Natalie Daskal

Notre Dame