In a world where every moment is curated, filtered and staged for social media, there’s a new platform that dares to break the mold: BeReal. This innovative application is making waves in the digital world by challenging users to present themselves as they truly are, sans the retouching and multiple photo retakes we’ve grown accustomed to on other social media platforms.
BeReal’s Unique Concept
At it’s core, BeReal is a platform that fosters authenticity. It is designed to discourage users from repeatedly retaking and modifying their images before sharing them online. It does this by keeping track of the number of retakes, subtly encouraging users to resist the pressure of picture-perfect representation.
User Experience and Interactivity
Just as it’s name suggests, BeReal promotes a “be real” philosophy. Upon opening the app, users are prompted to take a single photo – a ‘Real’. This task appears once a day at a random time, giving users two minutes to capture a moment of their life just as it is. This feature adds an element of surprise and spontaneity, capturing the essence of daily life that is often missing on other, more curated, social media platforms.
Social Aspects and Privacy
What sets BeReal apart is it’s unique approach to privacy and social interaction. Each user’s retake count is visible, but only to those who have at least ten friends on the platform. This feature nudges users to connect with others while subtly discouraging excessive retakes. Yet, as part of it’s commitment to privacy, BeReal ensures that all photos, comments and RealMojis are stored securely on their servers and retained for three years after the last app usage or until the user requests deletion.
The Ethical Stance
While some users have found ways to bypass the retake count, it’s essential to remember that the purpose of BeReal is to encourage a shift from the polished, often unrealistic depictions of life found on other social media platforms. Engaging authentically with BeReal’s framework aligns more closely with it’s mission to promote realness and authenticity.
FAQs
BeReal is a social media app that encourages authenticity by tracking the number of retakes a user takes before sharing a photo.
BeReal prompts users to take a single photo once a day at a random time and it tracks the number of retakes for each photo.
BeReal’s concept is to promote authenticity; therefore, the app likely discourages extensive editing or retakes.
According to your description, your retake count is visible to those who have at least ten friends on the platform.
While there may be workarounds to hide the retake count, it’s important to note that this goes against the ethos of the BeReal app, which promotes authenticity.
All photos, comments and RealMojis are stored securely on BeReal’s servers and are retained for three years after the last app usage or until the user requests deletion.
The process for clearing the BeReal cache will depend on your device. For Android, go to Settings, then Apps, find BeReal, tap Storage and then clear the cache. For iPhone, you would need to uninstall and then reinstall the app.
BeReal Alternatives
| Social Media Platform | Description |
|---|---|
| A popular platform that allows users to share photos and videos. It includes features that encourage real-time sharing, such as Instagram Stories and IG Live. | |
| Snapchat | Known for it’s short-lived content, Snapchat encourages spontaneous and candid sharing. It’s ‘Snap Map’ feature allows users to share their location and see snaps from different parts of the world. |
| As one of the largest social media platforms globally, Facebook allows users to share a variety of content, including photos, videos and text posts. It also has a ‘Facebook Stories’ feature for sharing momentary content. | |
| TikTok | This platform is primarily for sharing short, often creative, video clips. It encourages spontaneous and authentic content creation. |
| VSCO | Primarily a photo editing app, VSCO also has a social aspect, allowing users to share their photos on their VSCO profile. It’s known for it’s high-quality filters and editing tools. |
| Dayflash | An alternative photo-sharing app that encourages high-quality and authentic content. Users can share one photo per day. |
In Summary
BeReal is much more than a social media app – it’s a social experiment. By dissuading users from the usual cycle of retakes and edits, it encourages a more candid representation of life. In the process, BeReal is not only changing how we interact with social media, but also how we perceive ourselves and others. It’s a refreshing take on social media norms, promoting authenticity and spontaneity over perfection.
While new in the landscape, BeReal is already setting a strong precedent for how social media can be more authentic, less staged and more in tune with our real lives. As users, it offers a chance to break away from the sometimes deceptive gloss of other platforms and to be real in the truest sense.
