Culture / People

What is BeReal? The unfiltered, ultra-candid social media app to know

WORDS Sonia Blair    PHOTOGRAPHY Twitter    PUBLISHED Fri, 22 Jul 2022 - 10:38 am

what is bereal

We are all well aware of Instagram's waning popularity, with Gen Z in particular having an affinity for authentic, unfiltered content. For those who still use the platform, the photo dump and ‘real’ captions have become more prevalent across posts, and we’ve seen TikTok spawned as an alternative. Now, there’s a new app in town here to keep you humble, BeReal, and this is what you need to know about the new frontier in photo sharing. 

What is BeReal? 

At its crux, BeReal is a social media platform that will notify users when to upload to their story at a randomised time each day. Once notified, the user has only a few minutes to upload and if they fail to upload in the allotted time, their story is then branded as “posted late,” hinting to other users that it may not be a true indication of what they were doing at that time. 

BeReal has no filters because it’s, well, just that: real. This is a strategic choice playing into the underscoring idea of the app which is to share an unfiltered, realistic snapshot of your day to day life. No curated flatlay or scheduled post in sight. 

Much like TikTok, once uploaded to the app, you can share your BeReal image to Instagram and other platforms, which may be why you have seen some FaceTime-like snaps in your feeds. 

How long has BeReal been around? 

BeReal was initially conceived in late 2019, however it’s had its breakout moment in 2022, off the back of TikTok’s success. While still nowhere near as popular as the viral video app, it has been steadily growing in user numbers across the first half of 2022, with it appearing to reach a crescendo this week through becoming a meme across Twitter. Still keeping up with all the apps mentioned in this piece? Nice work. 

The app was created by former GoPro employee Alexis Barreyat and founded with Kevin Perreau, with the pair still owning the app. 

How many users are on BeReal? 

As of April 2022, almost three million daily active users were on the platform, an increase of 29 per cent from 2021. Catch us Being Real this weekend. 

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Image: Twitter

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