BeReal: Gen Z’s Favorite New App

BeReal is not your typical social media app. It adds fun features to make your experience more authentic than other social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat.

Once you download the app, at a random time throughout the day, BeReal users will receive a notification telling you it’s time to post. Then, users have two minutes to create a post. The posts consist of two photos: one with the selfie camera and one with the back camera. The app will take the pictures within seconds of each other. If users miss the notification, no worries, they can always post a late BeReal, but they still only have two minutes to create the post! Users can only see what their friends post after they post for the day and all posts go away when the next time to post is.

The way BeReal works encourages an authentic user experience. The posts you see are of what your friends are doing at that exact moment, and most of the time it’s nothing that glamorous or fomo-inducing. The app also has no followers, so it’s normalized to only follow your close friends and anyone that you care about seeing what they’re doing at a random time of the day. 

There have been efforts within Gen Z to make social media casual and normalize posting random things that might not be the most aesthetically pleasing picture ever. This is so hard to achieve, however. With an app like BeReal, social media can become one step closer to casual.

Another fun feature BeReal has is a memories section. Everything you post is available in this section and it is a fun way to see what you are doing every day. This section is only visible to you, so no need to worry about others looking through all your posts. 

BeReal has had an increase in downloads as it appeals to college students because of its authenticity. 

“I love BeReal because of how authentic it is,” said Elon sophomore Caroline Schollaert, “It's a fun way to see what your friends are up to during the day.”

However, other students feel differently about this app. 

“I’m not a huge fan of BeReal, it’s tedious and annoying to have to take a picture every single day,” said an Elon freshman. “I don’t find it entertaining either.”

Some love this app, and others find it annoying. It begs the question: will BeReal be another fad or Gen Z’s new favorite app?