In 2022, many things happened and, between them, a new app was introduced in people’s lives: BeReal, with an idea that can be seen as an alternative to Instagram users. But, how does this social media work and why is it so popular now?
The proposal of the app is simple: they send one notification per day and, after the user clicks on it, they have two minutes to take a picture showing what they are doing. After that, the front and back camera of the cell phone is activated, capturing the moment, with a difference of seconds between each picture.
People can take the photo several times before posting it for good, which fulfills in parts the “being real” promised by the app. And it is not mandatory to take anything in the instant you receive the notification, but the app records the time delay in taking the picture.
The interaction between users takes place with the standard comment space. The highlight is the reactions similar to Facebook’s, but with the difference that they are photos programmed by the user, and in some cases, one can notice a repetition in physiognomy and gestures of the reaction photos.
THE CONNECTIONS
Instagram and BeReal are social networks intended to manage connections between groups.
Insta occupies a commercial and more planned place, with a reputation for helping anxiety through comparison with other people’s lives and the creation of the “ideal world”. The planning of posts has already become controversial in some countries, like in Brazil, where a local influencer, Bianca Andrade, leaked a meeting with her marketing team about what would be the posts of the week, especially for stories. This disappointed the public, since they realized that the routine shared by the influencer was artificially constructed.
Controversially, BeReal goes against this movement of planning to attract, with its main feature being the element of surprise. Users never know when a notification from the application will arrive. This creates anxiety, because there are moments when people just think: “I hope my BeReal will beep!”, to share something remarkable and interesting from their lives with their friends.
Friends is another keyword of the app that is focused on closer links than Insta. Even though there is the option to share with everyone, the fun part is to know what your friends and family are doing at a given moment and react to the action.
It is worth noting that in BeReal there is no option to be a “low profile”, to see what has been posted by others you must also post, otherwise it is better not to be so curious about the lives of others.
So… which one is better?
For a long time, Instagram was a photo social network and BeReal is too, which brings the two media close together. The second one plays with the posed reality of the first and contributes to the conflict of both being on opposite sides.
And, in a way, they are. Insta has turned to the commercial world and increasingly incorporates the necessary trends in order not to fall into internet obsolescence.
On the other hand, BeReal has opted for an appeal to real connections even if there are times when people pose for the only photo of the day and take several until they get one that comes out as planned. The new app manages to be better than the already familiar Instagram by being a photo diary, by allowing you to share moments with those you like and are close to, by reminding you that repetition and sameness areis part of everyone’s life and the “ideal world” is something to have in dreams.
The article above was edited by Lorena Lindenberg. Liked this type of content? Check out Her Campus Cásper Líbero page for more!