When looking at our current social media landscape, you would think that we have covered all of the necessary bases in terms of what young audiences are looking for online. However, we are now witnessing the explosion of Gen Z’s new favorite social media app, BeReal. With an objective of changing the harmful narrative behind social media, BeReal has challenged the notion that social media is time-consuming and pressure-inducing by making the process more instinctual and, well, real. Keep reading to find out how and why this app has taken the social media world by storm.
How Does BeReal work?
BeReal is now known as the social media app without filters. This less manicured social media platform prompts users to take a photo every day at a different moment, and the app utilizes your phone’s front-facing camera to capture a photograph of you while you’re shooting the daily photo. If you happen to post your image a few hours after you’re notified, the app will mark your post as late. You cannot see how many followers a person has, but you may respond to and comment on postings. Additionally, you cannot view your friends’ postings until you share your BeReal for the day, and you may delete your post once per day if you make a mistake or decide to remove a picture. This style of engagement helps to remind users that not every photo you share with the world has to be perfectly polished and edited, and that it’s more important that you’re sharing realistic, intimate details of your life with your friends.
How BeReal is Changing the Game
The majority of the critiques surrounding social media nowadays are about its’ addicting nature and unrealistic standards. No one has time to sit on TikTok for four hours straight, but it’s certainly hard to stop scrolling once you start. No one looks perfectly manicured and put together at all times, but your followers won’t know that when you get to choose when and what you post. BeReal is aiming to change both of these common practices for its users, and it is no surprise that younger generations are the ones immersing themselves in this new way to share their life. In a fact sheet provided to USA TODAY, BeReal said, “We want to make people feel good about themselves and their lives. We want an alternative to addictive social networks fueling social comparison and portraying life with the goal of amassing influence.” With BeReal, you can no longer flawlessly curate how you appear to your followers. Sure, you can still pose in your photos and react to what your friends are doing, but ultimately you are going to be showing more of your authentic self. This is something we haven’t necessarily experienced before online, and BeReal is certainly making an impact on how we use and consume social media.
What’s Next for BeReal
What does the future of this new, unfiltered version of social media look like? Although we don’t know for sure, I think we can safely predict that this posting cadence and style will translate into other apps. BeReal forces its users to be okay with sharing the less-than-perfect version of themselves, and may even help navigate people away from spending hours and hours on their favorite platforms. This app has been used as a refreshing and healthy way to use social media and simply stay connected with your friends. Even if it ends up fading away in the next few months, I think we can all hope that this kind of engagement structure is here to stay.
Obviously social media trends die out every day, and it’s unrealistic to think BeReal will hold the attention of our younger generations forever. However, many teens (and even adults) are loving the non-addictive nature behind the app, and are starting to see the “fun” in social media again. There was always more to social media than filters, likes and followers, and BeReal is taking the first step in bringing us back to where it all started. If you have questions about how to take advantage of emerging social media trends, or simply need general marketing guidance, reach out to the experts of Anvil Media today!