Once a day at any time frame, BeReal prompts users to share unedited photos on social networks to interact with friends.
“Post now. Don’t be too hard on yourself, just post anything,” a message from the BeReal app appeared on the screen of Emily, now living in the US. Then the timer counts down two minutes. The young girl opened the phone, took a random photo, then continued to take a selfie and posted both on this social network.
For the past two months, the above activity has become familiar to Emily. Instead of sharing shimmering pictures on Facebook or Instagram, she now only posts a pair of simple, unedited photos every day on BeReal – a new social network that is attracting a lot of attention from young people.
“It sounds silly, but after two months, I found BeReal to be completely different from traditional social networks like Instagram or Snapchat. Up here, I have real friends. We may not be in contact very often. lost but still want to follow each other’s activities every day through photos”, she told New York Times.
Once a day, BeReal will send notifications, prompting users to post photos in real time. Image: New York Times
BeReal is a real-time photo sharing app without filters. Once a day, at a random hour, the user will receive a notification to take and post a photo. The maximum time for this activity is two minutes to limit photo editing. They also cannot share photos that are already in the gallery.
After two minutes, the window closes, the user can still continue to post photos, but then friends will get a notification that someone is late. Only when you post your own picture, you will be able to see your friends’ pictures. They can also respond with RealMoji emojis.
Oriana Riley, 19 years old in the US, thinks that BeReal makes her less preoccupied with time for social networks. “The once-a-day activity makes it healthier than traditional social media. It’s less addictive,” she said.
The appeal of the application also lies in the fact that users cannot predict when they will receive notifications. Therefore, the images on the BeReal application are also very rich, such as photos in the classroom, at work even when sleeping. Some people are happy, some are bored, but it all feels very “real”.
BeReal’s unique operating model makes this social network a new craze among young Americans. Bloomberg said the app became popular among universities in the US in March. According to SensorTower data, BeReal currently has about 10.7 million downloads globally.
BeReal is based in France and has been developed since 2020 by Alexis Barreyat, a former GoPro employee. The application has received support from the community in the context of many studies showing that social networks like Instagram are causing some psychological problems with users, especially young people. In 2021, Wall Street Journal Citing an internal report from Instagram that one-third of teenage female users feel self-conscious about their bodies after using this social network. Many teenage girls say Instagram causes them to suffer from anxiety disorders and depression.
BeReal insists they are not against social media. They are simply an application that encourages users to record everyday images and save their mood at that moment without the need for “makeup” layers with photo editing software.
The app is currently free and does not accept ads. This is in stark contrast to traditional social networking models. Follow Business Insider, hedge funds saw the potential of the application and valued the company at over $600 million.
BeReal still has some bugs, like sometimes users do not receive notifications from the application during the day. “It is possible that the hot growth, becoming a new craze, causes the application to have problems. Many people do not understand what the application really brings, but many people are becoming followers of the platform.” , CNBC comment.
Thao Hien
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