A more authentic social media platform – BeReal, has become a popular app amongst college students since you can see the unedited and maybe not-so-glamorous versions of your friends’ lives.  

Unlike Instagram or other platforms, BeReal is not about aesthetics or being perfect, it’s about your authentic self and the here and now. Whether that be you just sitting at your computer studying or chilling with your dog watching some television. A refreshing twist on social media that may not be pretty but is fun and interesting. 

How it works 

Every day you will receive a notification from the app at an unexpected time, warning you that you have two minutes to capture and share a photo. During those two minutes, you have the option to retake your photo as much as you want but you are being timed. The app will capture a photo from your front-facing camera and back-facing camera simultaneously. So, once you take a picture be ready.  

If you missed the initial notification, don’t worry! You will still have a chance to post, however, your followers will see that you posted late. Try not to take advantage of being able to post late by waiting until you are doing something interesting like waiting until you’re at a Harry Styles concert to post your BeReal … because that’s not very real of you.  

Most of the time I’m in my car or at my computer. It’s funny to see what time it goes off. For me, it always seems to go off right after I get done doing something interesting.  

One thing I enjoy about the app is that users post right away even if it’s at an inconvenient time. Many people have made fun of the unexpected notification and the fact it can go off in the most awkward times. 

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Other features 

An interesting feature of this app is that in order to see what your friends posted for the day — you must post your own BeReal. If you don’t post a photo the app will blur everyone else’s photos. It’s positive fairness to prevent you from being discouraged to post by seeing that others are doing something cooler.  

Once posted, you can react to your friends’ pictures with “realmojis” which are pictures of yourself reenacting emojis. There is also an instant reaction option, which is a picture you take of yourself after viewing the picture.  

Overall, BeReal is a great way to get to know your friends in a real way and get comfortable with the idea that everything doesn’t have to be edited or perfect for social media. You can collect photos overtime and view all the photos you have taken each day of the month. You can view what your friends are doing in real time rather than what they feel like sharing, and it’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone and be spontaneous.