BeReal: good or bad?

PRO CON

Mia Bomback ’25 News Editor

Four weeks ago, I uploaded my rst BeReal. I had heard murmurs about the new social media platform all summer and nally decided to try the app myself. After all, the concept HAD piqued my interest: a social media platform designed to expose the raw and un ltered truths of life? Say no more.

After four weeks of “Being Real,” I can con dently say that while the app is far from perfect, it is one of the few social media platforms that edges towards authenticity.

Created by Alexis Barreyat in 2020, BeReal is a social media platform that allows users “to discover who their friends really are.” Once a day, BeReal will send out a noti cation prompting users to post a photo of themselves at that moment. With no lters and no enhancements and once one chooses to respond to the noti cation within the 24 hour window, they are only allowed two minutes to take their picture leaving little time to do hair and makeup. e genius of BeReal is that it provides a window into the daily lives of others. Since downloading BeReal, I’ve gotten to see a new side of my friends. Unlike other social media platforms, BeReal pro-

BEREAL USER

Mia Bomback ’25 became one of ten million BeReal users a month ago.

motes honesty and sincerity. Contrary to Instagram and TikTok, BeReal is not a popularity contest. For me, posting on Instagram is stress-inducing. I constantly compare the amount of likes I receive on my posts with those of my friends, hyper-analyzing my pictures as I rack my brain, trying to gure out why my photos always op. Am I not good enough? Instagram seems to think so. But my experience using BeReal has been stress free. Without the added worry of likes and followers, BeReal allows me to be vulnerable, without being judged or graded. I’m tired of the staged, glori ed images that cloud my Instagram feed—I want to see my friends for who they truly are. e beauty of BeReal is its lack of glamor. So, the next time you post on social media, be honest, be candid, BeReal. Alex Gaines ’25 Arts Editor

I’m currently ve weeks BeReal sober. When you put it that way, it sounds like I’m aggressively against the app—I’m not—but after a summer of re ecting, I’m doubtful of my future BeReal status.

When I rst joined BeReal in May, the concept seemed perfect for me: a way to share how you are and what you’re doing each day without the hassle of constructing a picture-perfect Instagram post. As my usage of BeReal continued over the months, I found it less exciting and more exhausting to post. e feeling when you post a picture of you sitting in bed while being shown photos of people at concerts, parties and other activities that are far more adventurous than what you’re doing feels disheartening and embarrassing — even if you were hanging out with friends a couple of hours ago.

However, my experience may be because of an issue with authenticity, as the app’s features allow it to be more “fake” than it seems. e opportunity to post your daily BeReal up to 24 hours late means that you could wait until the perfect time to take your picture. is does pose an important question—what is it to “BeReal”? BeReal’s entire premise is promoting authenticity, but if people use the opportunity to take their BeReal at “the best” time, that’s just as bad as the ltered social media lifestyle the app is against. If one’s authenticity is questioned on an app that’s all about being genuine, that makes the app have a really unhealthy environment.

BEREAL FREE Alex Gaines ’25 deleted the newly popular app BeReal in light of her skepti cism with its authenti city.