The photo-sharing app BeReal has brought about another social media trend that is becoming more and more popular. Founded in France in 2020, BeReal has distinguished itself from similar apps like Facebook or Instagram by taking a different approach to how photos are shared.
On BeReal, you don’t have the option to post whenever you like. You can only post when the app sends a notification to your phone. This notification can come at any time of the day. Once you receive it, you only have two minutes to upload a photo. And not just any photo: The point of BeReal, as the name suggests, is to be real and to share exactly what you are doing at that moment. The app uses both your front and back cameras, so you can post what you are currently doing as well as your reaction to the task at hand.
You can still, of course, post a photo after the two-minute window has passed, but your friends will know that you were late. Users can also choose if they want their post to be seen by all BeReal users or just their friends.
At the moment, BeReal doesn’t offer a lot for companies, but that might change down the road. Nevertheless, the social media trend BeReal appears to be a welcome alternative to TikTok as the quest for authentic moments and content amongst social media users continues.