“It’s a bit like Snapchat, without a filter,” is how 20-year-old Julieta describes it to the French SHE. The young woman discovered BeReal two months ago, “thanks to a friend”. Via word of mouth – this is currently the only way to get to the app. Its founder, Alexis Barreyat, a young Frenchman from Montélimar, started BeReal without a marketing campaign, motivated by “the desire to create a social network that above all makes it possible to share authentic moments with family and friends”.
No time to pose
BeReal today unites several hundred thousand active users every day. The principle is simple: the users receive “notifications” every day. You will then have two minutes to snap a snapshot, which will self-destruct the next day. The mobile phone camera triggers in “Selfie” mode, but also records what is in front of you. It is difficult to “cheat” there.
The warnings can occur at any time of the day. In order to have access to the photos of the other users, you have to play the game yourself. Paul, a 16-year-old student, relates:
I get a lot of failed photos because my friends don’t have time to pose.
Neither advertising nor influencers
Julieta follows about twenty profiles that also represent her “inner circle” in real life. By default, all accounts are made private, with the ability to post each photo at the time it is sent. In addition, there is no advertising on the app. Alexis Barreyat says:
I no longer wanted to use the platforms with commercial manipulation that are completely disconnected from reality.
Paul explains:
Dreams are sold on Instagram. At BeReal, this is not the principle.
There are many times when we are too ugly
So it’s more about making people laugh and showing them your real life. Sarah, 22 years old, describes it this way:
With this app we realize that everyone has their moments alone.
Julieta adds:
I think it’s a platform that was created to calm people down. There are many times when we’re too ugly, when we don’t do anything, we just lie in our bed and watch a series.
A few more bugs still need to be fixed
However, the app also offers an option to post a “delay”: You can decide not to take the photo when the warning is raised, but at a different time. BeReal will still inform your friends of the number of attempts you have made before uploading the snapshot.
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