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In a world saturated with filtered and carefully curated content, social media has just become “media.” It can be refreshing to come across an app that encourages authenticity.
Enter BeReal, a French photo-sharing app that is changing the social media game. With its unique founding concept, users are prompted to share a spontaneous, unplanned photo of their real life every day. This breaks the app away from the polished and staged images that dominate other platforms, offering a genuine glimpse into the lives of others. This blog post accounts for my on-going quest to be real daily.
Why Do I Use BeReal?
I do not typically use social media much, but I understood the importance of having an online presence; therefore, I began looking for a new platform that aligns with my purpose. Right from the start, I recognized that BeReal has positive intentions and promising possibilities, including:
Refreshing Change
BeReal offers a refreshing change from the highly curated posts that have become the norm on other social media platforms. It promotes honesty and vulnerability, encouraging users to embrace imperfections and share the raw beauty of everyday life.
Purposeful Platform
BeReal is an app that focuses on meaningful connections and genuine interactions. It promotes real conversations and strives to bring people together.
Authenticity
BeReal encourages authenticity and discourages fake personas or disingenuous behavior. It promotes being true to oneself and encourages genuine engagement with others.
Less Noise
Unlike some other social media platforms, BeReal filters out unnecessary noise. This allows users to have meaningful conversations without being bombarded with irrelevant content or advertisements.
What Do I Know About BeReal?
The BeReal app is an incredible tool that enhances the authenticity of photos by utilizing both the front and back cameras to capture the true ambiance of users’ surroundings. This creates a unique experience where one can truly feel immersed in the moment at the time a photo was taken.
One of the standout features of BeReal is its simultaneous notification system. The app notifies all users at the same time, based on their respective time zones, when it’s time to “BeReal.” This increases the chance that everyone is on the app at the same time and can join in the authenticity together.
In the app’s current state, a “BeRealer” gets a two-minute window to make a timely post after receiving the notification. Users who post on time are given the opportunity to share two additional posts before the next notification arrives, typically within a day.
To further emphasize the authenticity of the photos, BeReal indicates whether a photo was posted promptly or if there was a delay. This transparency adds another layer of credibility to the user and the app. Additionally, the number of times a user retakes a photo is displayed, providing an indication of the effort put into capturing the “perfect” moment.
The app also has some unique privacy features. Currently, users are not able to see others’ posts unless they make a post themselves; this encourages active participation and engagement within the BeReal community. While the specific number of friends a user has is not shown, the app does display the count of reactions a post receives. Friends can react to and comment on each other’s posts, fostering a sense of connection and interaction.
In terms of user profiles, posts from the previous day are hidden from other users, ensuring that users experience only the most current and relevant content. It is also worth noting that searching for someone’s profile to add them as a friend is not possible, unless their phone number is saved in a user’s contacts; this protects user privacy and promotes genuine connections. Users are also notified if a friend unblurs or captures a screenshot of their photo.
Audacity of Authenticity
In the digital age, being authentic has become increasingly important. With the rise of social media, it is easy to feel pressured to project an image of perfection, but being authentic is essential for our personal growth and genuine connections. Here’s why:
Embracing Authenticity Allows for Self-Expression
By being true to ourselves, we can freely express our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs without fear of judgment or rejection. This fosters self-confidence and a sense of liberation, encouraging personal growth.
Authenticity Builds Trust and Genuine Connections
When we are honest and genuine with others, we establish trust. True connections are built on trust, and people are more likely to engage and resonate with us when they feel we are being genuine.
Authenticity Invites Acceptance and Understanding
When we show our true selves, flaws and all, we inspire acceptance and understanding from others. By being authentic, we create a safe space for others to be vulnerable and share their own struggles, fostering empathy and mutual support.
Authenticity Showcases Real Experiences and Stories
Sharing our real experiences, even if they aren’t perfect, allows us to connect on a deeper level. People appreciate real stories and can relate to the challenges and triumphs we’ve faced, which can inspire and motivate others.
Authenticity Leads to Personal Fulfillment
When we are truly authentic, we align our actions and words with our core values, leading to a sense of fulfillment and purpose. Living authentically allows for personal growth and a greater sense of self-awareness.
What’s the Challenge?
It is a challenging decision to embrace authenticity, as societal pressures and even our own inner voices often push us to conform and not be true to ourselves. Making the choice to be genuine requires immense bravery, as it involves fighting against external and internal forces that try to mold us into someone else.
When we post to a large audience, the dynamic changes from personal interaction to a more public display. Performative aspects, such as crafting the perfect caption or selecting the most visually pleasing photo, become more important. We want our posts to stand out and create an impact; social media platforms provide us with a virtual stage to share and showcase our lives, ideas, and talents with a wide audience.
Social media platforms including BeReal are unable to fully capture our true identities and the essence of who we are aiming to be. Consequently, this current pursuit of being genuine online can actually become a trap, keeping us bound to these platforms and stuck in repetitive patterns. Trying to express our authenticity on these platforms opens us to manipulation through algorithms.
Will I Keep Using BeReal?
I have made connections with interesting people from around the world through the Global feature on BeReal. My favorite aspect of BeReal is the daily photo prompt, which I use as a personal photo journal. BeReal has a pure and nostalgic feel of the early days of social media, but this very charm could potentially lead to its downfall in terms of profitability. Currently, I believe BeReal holds a unique and remarkable position, though its future remains uncertain.
While I post on BeReal almost every day, I don’t often get to post on time, because I may be busy with work or other obligations when receiving notifications. BeReal enables us to record authentic moments, including both mundane and exciting aspects of life.
Conclusion
BeReal cannot save us from ourselves, as the usual pitfalls of social media are still present on this platform: comparison and envy, validation seeking, selective self-presentation, online harassment, cyber-bullying, and time-consumption. Although it aims to promote authenticity and genuine connections, it is important to recognize that it is not immune to the negative aspects commonly associated with social media.
Thank you for following my daily challenge to be real; I hope you have enjoyed the experience and gained valuable insights. I would love to hear about your personal journey and how BeReal has helped you in your quest for authenticity. Let’s stay true, stay authentic, and keep challenging ourselves to be real.
